Investigation of the response of sweet cherries to root mycorrhisation with biologics for sustainable horticulture development

Abstract

Sustainable horticulture development is a priority area considering climate change, especially in the context of reduced water supply. The search for ways to regulate the resistance of fruit trees to stressors is an urgent issue for the world community. The use of beneficial microorganisms to inoculate plant roots helps reduce the use of synthetic substances and is an alternative for sustainable horticulture. The purpose of the study is to identify the specific features of the effect of root inoculation by mycorrhizal fungi on the reaction of sweet cherries to develop strategies for managing the production of fruit products. The study was conducted during 2018- 2020 in the sweet sweet cherry orchard of the southern steppe subzone of Ukraine. Such research methods as field, laboratory, biochemical, physiological, and statistical were used. The regularities of the influence of mycorrhizal fungi on the total moisture content and water-holding capacity of sweet cherry leaves were examined. In the first year of studies on endomycorrhizal root inoculation, these indicators were higher compared to the control group. The positive effect of endo-ectomycorrhiza on the waterholding capacity of sweet cherry leaves was elucidated. The total leaf surface and the content of green pigments in the leaves were determined as one of the main indicators of the photosynthetic potential of a fruit crop. The effect of inoculation of sweet cherry roots by mycorrhizal fungi on the ratio of chlorophylls (a/b) in leaves was established. The parameters of the content of total nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in sweet cherry leaves were determined. The use of mycorrhizal fungi increases the adaptive properties of sweet cherry trees to stressful factors, namely, arid conditions in the south of Ukraine. The research results can be used by fruit producers to improve climate-optimised technologies, which will substantially reduce risks and possible economic losses, and preserve biodiversity