Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance photosynthesis, water use efficiency, and growth of frankincense seedlings under pulsed water availability conditions.

ABSTRACT: Under drought conditions, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi alter water relationships of plants and improve their resistance to drought. In a factorial greenhouse experiment, we tested the effects of the AM symbiosis and precipitation regime on the performance (growth, gas exchange, nutrient status and mycorrhizal responsiveness) of Boswellia papyrifera seedlings. A continuous precipitation regime was imitated by continuous watering of plants to field capacity every other day during 4 months, and irregular precipitation by pulsed watering of plants where watering was switched every 15 days during these 4 months, with 15 days of watering followed by 15 days without watering. There were significantly higher levels of AM colonization under irregular precipitation regime than under continuous

SUBMITTER: Birhane E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3398253 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature