Contribution of arbuscular mycorrhiza and exoenzymes to nitrogen acquisition of sorghum under drought.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

For low-fertile and degraded soils of sub-Saharan Africa, nitrogen (N) is often the most growth-limiting factor restricting crop yields. The often-suggested exploitation of advantageous rhizosphere traits such as enzyme secretion and/or the symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) remains to be validated as a potential strategy to overcome N limitation, especially when N deficiency co-occurs with further abiotic stresses such as water scarcity.

Methods

Three sorghum genotypes were cultivated in soil mesocosms with a root-exclusion compartment, where only AMF could scavenge for nutrients under drought and optimal conditions. Plant carbon (C) investment into the rhizosphere and N uptake were tracked by ¹⁵N application coupled with ¹³

SUBMITTER: Munene R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12037375 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature