Effects of Inoculation with Glomus mosseae in Conventionally Tilled and Nontilled Soils with Different Levels of Nitrogen Fertilization on Wheat Growth, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization, and Nitrogen Nutrition

Abstract

Evaluation of the performance of inoculants in undisturbed and unsterilized soils, where diverse communities of microorganisms are present, is a necessary step before using arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in agricultural technology. The effects of inoculation with Glomus mosseae on arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization, growth, and nitrogen (N) uptake of wheat plants in unsterilized tilled and untilled soils from the Argentinean Pampas with different levels of N fertilization were assessed. The fertilization and inoculation effects depended on the tillage treatments. In no-tillage, the colonization was greater than in conventional tillage, but it was reduced by the N fertilization. In conventional tillage, the inoculation with G. mosseae increased colonization. Both conventional tillage and N fertilization promoted wheat root growth. Inoculation did not affect root growth but enhanced N concentration in roots when fertilizer was not applied.

Keywords:

• Arbuscular mycorrhiza
• Glomus mosseae
• no tillage
• nitrogen fertilization
• wheat

Acknowledgments

This research is part of the 11/N527 UNLP Project. S. Schalamuk is a recipient of a scholarship from Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), and M. Cabello and H. Chidichimo are researchers from Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC). A grant from CIC supported this research.