Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhanced the growth, phosphorus uptake and Pht expression of olive (Olea europaea L.) plantlets

PeerJ. 2022 Aug 9:10:e13813. doi: 10.7717/peerj.13813. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Olive (Olea europaea L.) is a highly mycotrophic species that has been introduced and cultivated in China for half a century. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is extremely valuable as a kind of biofertilizer to promote the health and vigor of olive plants. However, it is still unclear how native AMF impact growth and mineral nutrients, especially phosphorus absorption in the area where olive trees were introduced in China. In the present study, through a pot experiment, the effects of native AMF on the growth, phosphorus uptake and expression levels of four phosphate transporter genes (Pht) of olive plantlets were characterized. We found that (1) typical AMF colonization was observed within the roots of inoculated olive plantlets, and the growth of plantlets was significantly promoted; (2) some indigenous consortia (AMF1 and AMF2) notably promoted the absorption of phosphorus, fertilizers significantly increased the foliar content of nitrogen, and both AMF inoculation and fertilization had no significant effect on the uptake of potassium; and (3) AMF inoculation enhanced the expression of phosphate transporter genes in inoculated olive roots. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of native AMF on the cultivation of robust olive plantlets and highlights the role of AMF in increasing phosphorus uptake. There is great potential in using native AMF consortia as inoculants for the production of healthy and robust olive plantlets.

Keywords: Growth promotion; Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; Olea europaea L; Phosphate transporter gene; Phosphorus uptake.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • China
  • Mycorrhizae* / genetics
  • Olea*
  • Phosphorus / metabolism
  • Plant Roots

Substances

  • Phosphorus

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31760222), and the “Plant Nutrition and Mycorrhiza Research” Discipline Team Building Project of Yunnan Academy of Forestry and Grassland (No. LKYTD-2018-6). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.