Combinations of different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve fitness and metal tolerance of sorghum in ultramafic soil
Résumé
Research on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in ultramafic soils has principally focused on ecological restoration
whereas little attention has been given to agriculture. The present study aims at understanding if
mixtures of different AMF species from a New Caledonian ultramafic soil induced a better plant fitness and lower
contents of potentially toxic metals in aerial parts of a crop plant than single species inoculants. Sorghum vulgare
plants were inoculated using six AMF species separately and in different mixtures of these species in a glasshouse
experiment in ultramafic soil. The tested inocula showed very different effects on plant fitness. Results highlight
that, when sorghum is grown in ultramafic soil, AMF mixes were more efficient than single species inoculation in
alleviating abiotic stresses by reducing translocation of potentially toxic metals to the aerial part of the plant and
thereby improving the fitness of the plants. Our findings point out the utility of arbuscular mycorrhizal biotechnology
for agricultural ultramafic soils.