Application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and organic fertilizers in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants

Abstract

Association with mycorrhizal fungi confers benefits to host plants. The successful establishment of the symbiosis improves the nutritional status of both organisms: while the fungus receives carbohydrates from its host, the plant benefits from the association by increasing the absorption of nutrients and minerals from the soil, as well as enhancing its resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. In the present work, the result of the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and organic fertilizers in tomato plants as an ecologically sustainable strategy is shown, and the impact on the establishment of said colonization is analyzed. For this, staining and molecular methods were used to analyze the impact of organic fertilizers on mycorrhizal colonization. The findings indicate that the application of organic fertilizers in low proportion does not affect the establishment of mycorrhizal symbiosis.