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Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the drought tolerance of Cyclobalanopsis glauca seedlings under greenhouse conditions

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Abstract

Cyclobalanopsis glauca is an important afforestation tree species that is widely used for revegetating the karst region of southwest China. Vegetation in this region is regularly commonly subjected to drought stress because of the geology and water shortages. Here, we investigated the influence of two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices on the drought tolerance of C. glauca seedlings under greenhouse conditions. AMF-treated and non-AMF-treated C. glauca seedlings were maintained under two different water regimes (well watered: 80 % field capacity; drought stress: 40 % field capacity) for 90 days. The AMF colonization rate was higher under well-watered conditions compared to drought stress conditions. The growth and physiological performance of C. glauca seedlings were significantly affected by drought stress. Under drought stress conditions, mycorrhizal seedlings had greater height, base diameter, leaf area, and biomass compared to non-mycorrhizal seedlings. In addition, under drought conditions, AMF-inoculated seedlings had greater superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activity, higher soluble sugar content, and lower proline content compared to non-inoculated seedlings. Furthermore, AMF colonization increased the phosphorus and potassium content of seedling shoots under both well-watered and drought stress conditions. Therefore, AMF colonization enhanced the drought tolerance of C. glauca seedlings by improving growth performance, nutrient content, the quantity of osmotic adjustment compounds, and antioxidant enzyme activity. The results indicate that AMF are of potential use for the restoration of vegetation in the karst region of southwest China.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province, China (2013GXNSFBA019070), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41172313), the Open Fund of Karst Dynamics Laboratory, Ministry of Land and Resources/Guangxi Autonomous Region (KDL2012-05) and the Innovative Research Program for Graduate Student of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (CXZZ13-0534).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Forest Resources and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing, 210037, Jiangsu, China

    Zhongfeng Zhang & Jinchi Zhang

  2. Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006, Guangxi, China

    Zhongfeng Zhang & Yuqing Huang

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  1. Zhongfeng Zhang
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  2. Jinchi Zhang
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Correspondence to Jinchi Zhang.

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Zhang, Z., Zhang, J. & Huang, Y. Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the drought tolerance of Cyclobalanopsis glauca seedlings under greenhouse conditions. New Forests 45, 545–556 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-014-9417-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-014-9417-9

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