Articles
Yield and quality performances of tomato “plum” inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in saline soils
Article number
1271_48
Pages
351 – 358
Language
English
Abstract
In order to evaluate the effects of beneficial microorganisms on greenhouse tomato plum grown under salinity conditions, research was carried out in Naples (southern Italy), by evaluating two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) treatments (Micoseeds Plus by Msbiotech, Myco Apply DR by Sumitomo, and a non-inoculated control) in factorial combinations with four soil electrical conductivities (1, 2, 3 or 4 mS cm-1 EC), by using a split plot design with three replicates.
The mycorrhizal index increased from 1 to 2 mS cm-1 in plant roots inoculated with AMF, whereas in the control it decreased when the soil EC increased from 1 to 3 mS cm-1; the control attained lower values of mycorrhizal index than AMF treatments at any soil EC. AMF inoculated plants matured two days later than the control plants, but showed higher yield at all soil ECs.
The plants grown under the 4 mS cm-1 soil EC matured four days earlier compared to 1 mS cm-1; the inoculation with beneficial microorganisms resulted in the best production performance under the 3 mS cm-1 soil EC due to both higher fruit number and mean weight, whereas the control plants attained the highest yield under both 2 and 3 mS cm-1 soil EC. The highest values of fruit dry residue and soluble solids as well as polyphenols, ascorbic acid and lycopene content were recorded under both of the AMF inoculations, and 4 mS cm-1 soil EC. The application of beneficial microorganisms as an environmentally friendly tool resulted in the improvement of tomato yield and quality performances both in normal and in saline soils.
The mycorrhizal index increased from 1 to 2 mS cm-1 in plant roots inoculated with AMF, whereas in the control it decreased when the soil EC increased from 1 to 3 mS cm-1; the control attained lower values of mycorrhizal index than AMF treatments at any soil EC. AMF inoculated plants matured two days later than the control plants, but showed higher yield at all soil ECs.
The plants grown under the 4 mS cm-1 soil EC matured four days earlier compared to 1 mS cm-1; the inoculation with beneficial microorganisms resulted in the best production performance under the 3 mS cm-1 soil EC due to both higher fruit number and mean weight, whereas the control plants attained the highest yield under both 2 and 3 mS cm-1 soil EC. The highest values of fruit dry residue and soluble solids as well as polyphenols, ascorbic acid and lycopene content were recorded under both of the AMF inoculations, and 4 mS cm-1 soil EC. The application of beneficial microorganisms as an environmentally friendly tool resulted in the improvement of tomato yield and quality performances both in normal and in saline soils.
Authors
L. Pietrantonio, N.A. Golubkina, E. Cozzolino, M. Sellitto, A. Cuciniello, G. Caruso
Keywords
Solanum lycopersicum L., mycorrhizal index, soluble solids, polyphenols, ascorbic acid, lycopene
Groups involved
- Division Greenhouse and Indoor Production Horticulture
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Plant-Environment Interactions in Field Systems
- Working Group Nettings in Horticulture (subgroup of Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climates)
- Working Group Light in Horticulture
- Working Group Organic Greenhouse Horticulture
- Working Group Modelling Plant Growth, Environmental Control, Greenhouse Environment
- Working Group Protected Cultivation, Nettings and Screens for Mild Climates
- Working Group Vegetable Grafting
- Working Group Computational Fluid Dynamics in Agriculture
- Working Group Design and Automation in Integrated Indoor Production Systems
- Working Group Mechanization, Digitization, Sensing and Robotics
- Working Group Greenhouse Environment and Climate Control
- Commission Agroecology and Organic Farming Systems
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