Physiological responses of the two blueberry cultivars to inoculation with an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus under low-temperature stress

ABSTRACT

Effects of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), Glomus mosseae, on growth, antioxidant, osmoregulation, and nutrition were investigated in “Britewell” (Vaccinium ashei) and “Misty” (Vaccinium corymbosum) plants exposed to low temperature (10°C). At low temperature, the two cultivars showed similar decreases in leaf concentrations of soluble sugars, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). However, similar increases were observed in levels of leaf antioxidants, malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), superoxide anion radical (), and proline. AM inoculation increased leaf activities of superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, ascorbate, and glutathione, but decreased leaf concentrations of , MDA, and H₂O₂ in the two cultivars. AMF caused greater changes in leaf composition in “Britewell.” AM-inoculated “Britewell” and “Misty” plants had higher concentrations of soluble sugar, proline, P, and K than non-AM-inoculated plants, especially in the former cultivar. These results indicate that G. mosseae has the potential to enhance resistance of “Britewell” blueberry plants against low-temperature stress.

KEYWORDS:

• antioxidant
• arbuscular mycorrhizae
• low temperature
• nutrition
• osmoregulation
• Vaccinium ashei
• Vaccinium corymbosum

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31372014), the Provincial Natural Science Research Program of Higher Education of Anhui Province (KJ2016SD24), and the program of Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Security, Anhui Province.