Najafi Mina, Çokuysal Burçin, Rezaee Danesh Younes, Farda Beatrice, Mignini Amedeo, Pellegrini Marika
Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey.
Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Van Yuzuncu Yil University, Van, Turkey.
PeerJ. 2025 Jun 19;13:e19499. doi: 10.7717/peerj.19499. eCollection 2025.
Turkish oregano ( L.) is a perennial herb widely recognized for its medicinal, cosmetic, and culinary uses due to its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Drought is a significant stressor for crops, particularly affecting quality and yield. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) establish symbiotic relationships with plant roots, enhance plant growth, and improve tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought.
This study investigates the effects of inoculation on growth, nutrient content, and essential oil yield under varying drought conditions. A factorial experiment was conducted with eight treatments, consisting of two factors: irrigation levels (100%, 75%, 50%, and 25%) and AMF inoculation (with and without). The experimental design was completely randomized with three replicates.
Results demonstrated that AMF inoculation significantly improved the fresh and dry weight of compared to non-inoculated controls (+11% and +16%, respectively). Moreover, AMF-inoculated plants showed notable increases in potassium (+7%) and nitrogen (+12%) contents. The essential oil yield was also significantly higher in AMF-inoculated plants (+3%). Increasing water stress levels significantly decreased the number of AMF spores (-47%) and the percentage of fungal colonization (-57%). Nevertheless, under drought stress mycorrhizal inoculation significantly maintained plant biomass and nutrient uptake comparable to full irrigation. The AMF drought tolerance effects were confirmed at 75%, 50%, and 25% irrigation rates.
土耳其牛至（L.）是一种多年生草本植物，因其具有抗氧化和抗菌特性，在医药、化妆品和烹饪领域具有广泛的应用。干旱是农作物面临的一个重要胁迫因素，尤其会影响作物的品质和产量。丛枝菌根真菌（AMF）与植物根系建立共生关系，促进植物生长，并提高植物对干旱等非生物胁迫的耐受性。
本研究调查了在不同干旱条件下接种AMF对牛至生长、养分含量和精油产量的影响。进行了一项析因试验，包括八个处理，由两个因素组成：灌溉水平（100%、75%、50%和25%）和AMF接种（接种和未接种）。试验设计完全随机，重复三次。
结果表明，与未接种的对照相比，接种AMF显著提高了牛至的鲜重和干重（分别提高了11%和16%）。此外，接种AMF的植株钾含量（提高了7%）和氮含量（提高了12%）显著增加。接种AMF的植株精油产量也显著更高（提高了3%）。水分胁迫水平的增加显著降低了AMF孢子数量（减少了47%）和真菌定殖百分比（减少了57%）。然而，在干旱胁迫下，菌根接种显著维持了与充分灌溉相当的植物生物量和养分吸收。在75%、50%和25%的灌溉率下证实了AMF的耐旱效果。
