|
Pak. J. Bot., 48(2): 763-769, 2016. |
Back to Contents | ||||
|
|
Updated: 01-04-16 | ||||
|
|
CO-INOCULATION OF ARBUSCULR MYCORRHIZAE AND NITROGEN FIXING BACTERIA ENHANCE ALFALFA YIELD UNDER SALINE CONDITIONS
RUI-FEN ZHU1#, FEN-LAN TANG1*, JIE-LIN LIU1, FENG-QI LIU1, XIAO-YU DENG3 AND JI-SHAN CHEN1,2#
Abstract: The study was to investigate the effects of combined inoculation of Glomus mosseae (arbusculr mycorrhizae fungi, AMF) and Sinorhizobium meliloti (nitrogen-fixing bacteria, i.e., an Rhizobium meliloti, RM) on yield, nutrient contents, nodulation and mycorrhizal colonization of different alfalfa cultivars under saline conditions. An experiment was conducted to test the efficacy of AMF and RM inoculation in development of salt tolerance in alfalfa cultivars (Zhaodong, Nongjing and Longmu) under different salinity levels (0, 60, 120 and 180 mM NaCl). We found that under non stress condition, double inoculation of alfalfa with rhizobium and AM increased the alfalfa yield, nodule weight and number, as well as shoot proline contents, the most when plants were double inoculated followed by AM and rhizobium inoculation, respectively. Whereas under salinity condition, double inoculation of alfalfa with rhizobium and AM increased alfalfa yield, mycorrhizal infection, nodule weight and number as well as increased in shoot proline content, the most followed by AM and rhizobium inoculation, respectively. The results suggest that growth of alfalfa may be improved by combined inoculation of alfalfa with AM and rhizobium under salt and non-stress conditions. Alleviation of alfalfa growth under saline condition was perhaps due to an increase in mycorrhizal infection and nodule weight and number as well as an increased in shoot proline content by dual inoculation.
Key words: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Rhizobium meliloti (RM), Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) yield, Salinity.
1Institute of Pratacultural Science, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China 2Suihua Experimental Station, National Agriculture Reseach System, China 3Harbin Normal University, Harbin, China *Correspondence authors’ e-mail address: gscjs2008@aliyun.com #These authors contributed equally to this work |
||||
|
|
|||||
| Back to Contents |
|
Back to Contents | |||
|
|
|||||