Mycorrhizal symbiosis facilitates establishment of plant by increasing water and soil elements absorption such as N, P and K and rhizosphere distribution. It also increases soil biodiversity and microbial population as well as plant resistance against pathogens and stress. In this study thirty individuals of natural Pyrus glabra in Bazoft were selected. To find out the interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal and soil elements, root samples were obtained during spring and autumn. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi spores were isolated by wet sieve and centrifugation by means of sucrose. Then roots were stained and colonization percentage was measured. Seven species of Glomus and 2 species of Acaulospora were characterized. Significant difference was found between Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization percentage and spore frequency in spring and autumn. Significant correlation was observed between colonization percentage and total nitrogen in spring.

Zinc deficiency is one of the most common micronutrients deficiencies in plants and reduces production. The purpose of this research was to use arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and study its effect on Zn deficiency in corn and the plant ability to absorb zinc, phosphorus, and iron, and growth of corn plants. This experiment was performed in two parts. The first part was a factorial experiment conducted in completely-randomized design (CRD) with two factors zinc-deficient (-Zn) and zinc-sufficient (+Zn) (0 and 16 mM) and two fungi levels: +M and -M (mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal) cultured in perlite in plastic pots. Each treatment had four replicates. The second part of the experiment was conducted as completely-randomized design (CRD) with two levels of fungi (+M and -M) and four replicates cultured in perlite. The first results showed that in treatments with zinc deficiency, mycorrhizal plants had significantly less growth than non-mycorrhizal plants. Zinc deficiency caused a significant increase in the concentration and amount of phosphorus in shoot and root of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants. Mycorrhizal plants with zinc deficiency had the highest concentration and amount of iron and nonmycorrhizal plants with sufficient zinc had the lowest concentration and amount of iron. Zinc deficiency increased the percentage of root colonization of mycorrhizal plants to 58%. In the second part of this study, it was observed that mycorrhizal inoculated plants were able to absorb zinc from the insoluble sources of zinc (such as ZnO).

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a source of strong, natural and free of calorie sweetener that is mainly used in industries and pharmacy. With respect to the importance of this plant, extracting sweetening compounds from this demands production of considerable biomass. Therefore, the effects of mychorrhizal fungus on some characteristics of Stevia’ s root organ were studied in a factorial experiment based on completely randomized blocks with 4 replications conducted in a greenhouse at Mohghegh Ardebili University in 2014. The first factor included Imma & Angel and Novell nutrient solutions; the second factor included the Planting bed that consisted of Leaf composts vermicompost, and Peat and perlite, and finally, third factor included the inoculation with mychorrhizal fungus and control treatment. The results showed that the highest percentage of root colonization with mycorrhizal was associated with the Novella nutrient solution and vermicompost planting bed, the maximum length of myrrhizae roots and dry weight of the mycorrhizal roots of the Imma & Angel solution and the vermicompost planting bed. In addition, Novell in vermicompost planting bed yielded the largest Leaf dry weight, root volume, root surface and root length after inoculation with mychorrhizal fungus. The largest, root dry weight was observed in case of Imma & Angel solution in vermicompost medium (inoculated with mychorrhizal fungus).

AbstractBackground and Objectives         Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plants are critical for ecosystem function, however, these interactions remain poorly characterized in mountainous and cold environments. This research aimed to investigate the effect of three shrub species (Berberis integerrima, Onobrychis cornuta, and Juniperus sabina. ) on root colonization, spore population, and fungal species diversity in the rhizosphere of these plants. Materials and Methods   This research was conducted in the Belde highlands, Helooposhteh village, in the southern part of Nur County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. A field survey was initially performed to select 13 plots as replicates. Each plot contained three adjacent shrub species. Soil sampling was carried out in the spring of 2023. A total of 52 rhizosphere soil samples (4 samples under each shrub and 1 sample from outside the shrub canopy in each plot) and 39 root samples were collected. Soil samples were taken from a depth of 0-30 cm in each of the 13 plots. Root samples were stained using the Hayman & Phillips (1970) method to visualize fungal structures (vesicles, arbuscules, and hyphae). Also, 200 grams of each soil sample were taken, and spores were isolated and counted using a washing, wet sieving, and centrifugation method in a sucrose solution. Then, identification was performed. ResultsThe results indicated that the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was significantly influenced by the canopy of different shrub species. In the control (areas outside the shrub canopies), Diversispora aurantia was identified. Under the canopy of Onobrychis cornuta, Glomus flavisporum and Acaulospora sp. were found. Additionally, under the Berberis integerrima canopy, Gigaspora gigantea, Acaulospora colombiana, and Acaulospora jejuensis were identified, and under the Juniperus sabina canopy, Cetraspora pellucida and Glomus flavisporum were observed. The results also showed that Acaulospora had the highest abundance among these fungi, while Gigaspora and Diversispora aurantia had the lowest. Furthermore, root colonization rate and spore counts showed significant differences among the shrub species. The root colonization percentage for O. cornuta was 79. 46% with a spore count of 4038 per 200g of soil The relative abundance of J. sabina was 53. 46% (3952 spores), while B. integerrima constituted 41. 30% (3593 spores) of the total spore count. ConclusionThe results of this study emphasize the significance of species diversity in shrub communities within mountainous and cold habitats, highlighting their pivotal role in shaping fungal communities and enhancing ecosystem functions. Shrubs are recognized as key drivers in ecological interactions and in maintaining the sustainability of ecosystem processes.

Background and purpose: The medicinal plant Ocimum basilicum L. is one of the most important medicinal plants. It is native to tropical regions from Central Africa to Southeast Asia and has antimicrobial, antioxidant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Drought stress is one of the most important abiotic factors that can severely affect plant growth and yield. This study aimed to investigate the effect of mycorrhizal fungus on some physiological and biochemical properties of the medicinal plant O. basilicum L. under drought stress.Methodology: This experiment was conducted in the research greenhouse of Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah branch in 2022. The experiment was performed as a factorial experiment in a Random completely blocked design with two factors (mycorrhiza fungus) in three levels including control (without inoculation with fungus), G. etunicatum and G. mosseae, water drought stress at three levels (without stress, 75 and 50% of field capacity) were performed in four replications. The traits measured in the experiment include, the number of leaves, relative water content, ion leakage, photosynthetic pigments, proline, carbohydrate, antioxidant activity, phenol content and clonization percentage.Results: The results of analysis of variance analysis showed that the effect of mycorrhizal fungus on all the traits measured in the experiment was significant, and also, the effect of drought stress on all the investigated traits was significant except for the amount of phenol and total chlorophyll. The interaction effect of two factors, mycorrhizal fungus and different levels of drought stress, on the characteristics of ion leakage and carotenoid content was significant. Mean comparisons of data showed that the highest number of leaves  (70.5) was observed in the treatment of G. mosseae fungus, and the lowest number of leaves (58) was in the treatment without fungus. The highest relative water content of leaves (79.059%) was in non-stress conditions, which had a significant difference with the stress conditions of 75 and 50% of crop capacity. The highest electrolyte leakage percentage (33.02%) in the stress condition was 50% of the field capacity in the control treatment, which was not significantly different in the same condition as the G. etunicatum fungus treatment. Inoculation with mycorrhizal fungus increased the content of total chlorophyll so that the highest amount of total chlorophyll (0.96 mg/g of fresh weight) was obtained in the treatment of G. mosseae, which was not significantly different from G. etunicatum and also inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi increased the content of chlorophyll a and b by 91.8%. Inoculation with mycorrhizal fungus increased the proline content by 25.33%, too. The highest antioxidant activity (21.13%) was obtained in treating G. mosseaefungus. The lowest amount of essential oil was observed in the 50% of the field capacity treatment, 25.96% less than the control treatment. Drought stress decreased the percentage of root colonization in G. mosseae by 55.77% and in G. etunicatum by 57.93%.Conclusion: Mycorrhizal fungus improved the morphological and physiological characteristics in green basil plant.symbiosis with G. mosseae fungus under drought stress conditions with increasing proline and antioxidant activity, improved physiological traits and resistance to drought stress in green basil plant.

Positive and beneficial effects of mycorrhizal symbiosis on growth of different plants have been demonstrated in the past. These fungi by creating a symbiotic relationship with the roots of plants leads to improved morphological and physiological characteristics and are balancing on soil biodiversity. Most of the crops are capable of establishing symbiosis with endo-mycorrhizal fungi, but so far, no study has been done on the possibility of establishing a symbiotic relationship between these fungi and lily. For this purpose, this study was performed to investigate the effect of different species of mycorrhizal fungi, including Glomus intraradices, Glomus etunicatum, Glomus mosseae and Glomus clorum on yield of Lily longiflourm and Lily ledebourii. This research carried out as a factorial in a Completely Randomized Design with three replications. The results showed that the root of L. longiflourm and L. ledebourii has developed a symbiosis at an acceptable level and the interaction of mycorrhiza on two species of lily is significant on investigated traits. The highest of root colonization percentage was observed in L. longiflourm inoculated with G. etunicatum, while, there was the lowest of root colonization percentage in L. ledebourii inoculated with G. clorum and L. ledebourii without inoculation. Also, the highest and lowest of plant height was observed in L. longiflourm inoculated with G. etunicatum and L. ledebourii without inoculation, respectively. Interaction effect of lily×mycorrhiza showed the highest absorption of phosphorus, iron and zinc was observed in L. longiflourm and L. ledebourii inoculated with G. etunicatum. Actually, the results of this study indicate to affect symbiotic of G. etunicatum on growth and nutrients uptake that provides background to investigate the feasibility of its application to improve plant growth in lily.

In order to evaluate the micro and macro elements of saffron (Crocus sativus L. ) under the influence of various levels of inoculation with mycorrhiza and vermicompost in a factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted in research field of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. The investigated factors included vermicompost at 4 levels of 0, 8, 16 and 24 t. ha-1 and four levels of mycorrhizal fertilizer 0, 7. 5, 10 and 15 g inoculation were put in each hole consisting two corms with equal and moderate weight. In this experiment, traits including: phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, manganese, iron, copper, number of corms in per plant, length of corms, diameter corm scales, corm diameter, fresh weight of corm, dry weight of corm and colonization percentage of roots. The results showed a significant effect of vermicompost on corm length, corm diameter, diameter corm final scales, fresh weight of corms, phosphorus, and nitrogen and colonization percentage of roots. The effect of mycorrhiza on the phosphorus, nitrogen, the number of corms in the plant, the length of the corm, colonization percentage of roots, diameter corm scales and corm diameter. Also, the interaction between vermicompost and mycorrhiza fertilizer was significant on the traits of corm diameter. Therefore, it seems that the application of mycorrhiza inoculation with vermicompost fertilizer could enhance some quantitative and qualitative traits of saffron.

In order to study the effect of mycorrhiza and bradyrhizobium on yield and yield components of soybean under different amounts of starter nitrogen fertilizer, a field experiment was conducted at the agricultural research station, Bu-Ali Sina University in 2015 growing season. A factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design was arranged with three replications. Experiment factors included three levels of starter nitrogen fertilizer including 0, 30 and 60 kg ha-1, bradyrhizobium including inoculated and non-inoculated and mycorrhiza including application and non-application. Results indicated that plant height, number of leaves per plant, yield and yield components and biological yield of soybean and mycorrhizal colonization percentage affected by interaction of studied factors. At all levels of starter nitrogen, interaction between bradyrhizobium and mycorrhiza increased number pod per plant and 1000 seed weight. Application of 60 kg ha-1 nitrogen decreased colonization percentage by 20. 22 % compared to no application nitrogen treatment. Application of both bio-fertilizers with 30 kg ha-1 nitrogen gave the highest grain and biological yields (511. 67 g m-2 and 1223. 16 g m-2 respectively). So to improve soybean performance and reduce the nitrogen fertilizer consumption, it is recommended that both fertilizers to be taken simultaneously with 30 kg ha-1 nitrogen as starter.

Rainfall reduction and dehydration are important features of the Zagros forests. One of the most sustainable, and suitable ways to restore, and enrich these forests is the use of native, and multipurpose species such as Cerasus mahaleb L. . This study was conducted as a factorial randomized complete block design at Isfahan Agricultural, and Natural Resources Research Center from winter to spring of 2018. The first factor included four levels of drought stress (100, 75, 50, and 25% of field capacity), and the second factor was three levels of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi without mycorrhizal fungi (control), Rhizophagus irregularis, and Funneliformis mosseae in four replications on fungal colonization, and traits of the morphological characteristics of one-year-old seedlings of C. mahale L. in greenhouse conditions. The results showed that with increasing drought stress,height, collar diameter, number of branches, and leaves, root, and shoot dry weight, fungal colonization percentage, and leaf area of C. mahaleb seedlings were significantly reduced (p≤1%), however, both fungi were able to improve most of the studied traits. At 100% field capacity, fungal colonization increased from 32. 1% in control to 47. 27% in inoculation with F. mosseae, and 43. 2% in inoculation with R. irregularis (p≤5%). Due to inoculation with F. mosseae fungi, the seedlings main root length in different drought stress treatments, compared to the control, showed an increasing trend, and the maximum root length (42 cm) in the conditions FC50% stress was obtained. The largest size of the surface, and the number of leaves, the height, and diameter of the seedlings were observed in conditions without drought stress (FC100%). According to the results of this study, in the seedling period, C. mahaleb can be considered as a relatively drought tolerant species.

Water deficiency is one of the most important factors for limiting crop yield in arid and semiarid regions. Symbiosis with a variety of microorganisms in these regions is one of the modern ecological approaches for sustainable agriculture to reduce damages caused by environmental stresses. Symbiotic of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) with the roots of crops has shown positive effects on agricultural systems. In order to study the effects of inoculation with two species of mycorrhizal fungi and irrigation levels on root growth criteria and water use efficiency of corn, an experiment was performed as split plots based on a complete randomized block design with three replications at the Agricultural Research Station, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad during growing season of 2008-2009. Treatments included two mycorhizae inoculation (Glomus mosseae and G. intraradices and control) and four irrigation levels (25, 50, 75 and 100% of water requirement). Grain yield, root specific length, the percentage of root colonization and water use efficiency based on grain yield of corn were measured. The results showed that the effect of mycorrhizae inoculation was significant on (p≤0.05) root specific length, grain yield and water use efficiency of corn. Mycorrhizae species had no significant effect on root colonization percentage of corn. Different irrigation levels had significant effect on grain yield, special length root, the percentage of root colonization, and water use efficiency of corn (p≤0.05). Generally, the results showed that mycorrhizae inoculation in water deficiency conditions, can increase the uptake of water and nutrients by developing the root and increasing the absorbing surface. In this way, not only the plant tolerance against the water deficiency increases, but also more yield will be produced for a specific value of water, which means the water use efficiency increases. Furthermore, the use of water will be decreased.