Metwally Amr A, Riad Gamal S, Ghoname Abdalla A, El-Sawy Sameh M, Salama Dina S, Alkhawaga Layla, Shahin Mostafa G, Saudy Hani Saber, AbdelMotlb Nora A
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo, 11566, Egypt.
Vegetable Research Department, Agricultural and Biology Research Institute, National Research Centre, El Buhouth St, Cairo, 12622, Egypt.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 Jul 19;25(1):934. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-06956-2.
Recently, conserving irrigation water via application of deficit irrigation is a main priority, particularly in aridity and semi- aridity conditions. However, water deficiency is one of the major issues that hinder crop production worldwide. Also, knowledge regarding the physiological efficiency of microbial inoculation (MI) to shrink drought impacts in broccoli is unclear. We hypothesized that AMF and TRI fungi may have different mechanisms to modulate the physiological state and growth of broccoli to be more tolerant to drought stress.
A field experiment in two seasons of 2023-24 and 2024-25 was conducted to assess the influence of MI on drought tolerance in broccoli. A mycorrhiza inoculum (AMF) and (TRI) inoculum were applied under 100, 80, 60 and 40% of irrigation requirements, IR (referred to as IR100, IR80, IR60 and IR40, respectively). Firstly, the MI was applied in the nursery after sowing the seeds in the seed trays, further, MI was applied two times, 28 and 38 days after transplanting (DAT) with the drip irrigation system, while the irrigation regimes started on 27 DAT. The treatments were designed in a strip-plot system in a complete randomized block with three replicates (trial unit size was 12 m). At 70 DAT, soil plant analysis development (SPAD), membrane stability index (MSI), relative water content (RWC), proline content, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and total antioxidant activity of broccoli leaves were assessed, while at 85 DAT the fresh and dry weight of shoot and root, leaf area and head yield were estimated.
Findings clarified that application of AMF and TRI inoculations under different levels of drought improved significantly ( < 0.05) SPAD, MSI and RWC compared to the corresponding control treatments, except AMF with IR60 for SPAD and TRI with IR60 for SPAD and MSI and with IR40 for SPAD. Under IR60 regime, AMF achieved the maximum improvements ( < 0.05) in peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and superoxide dismutase, significantly equaling ( > 0.05) TRI for peroxidase. AMF×IR60 was the effective interaction for achieving the maximal values of total phenolic, total flavonoids and total antioxidant activity in broccoli, equaling ( > 0.05) TRI×IR60 combination in total phenolic. Compared to the counterpart control (CK) treatments the increases in proline content due to AMF or TRI applications amounted to 26.4 and 30.0% with IR80, 25.0 and 15.6% with IR60 and 36.6 and 32.5% with IR40, respectively. It is worth to observe that IR80×AMF combination achieved shoot dry weight and head yield values similar ( > 0.05) to IR100×AMF combination.
Briefly, it can be concluded that microbial inoculations, specifically AMF, can relieve the injuries of drought. Practically, broccoli growers can save irrigation water by 20% with inoculating plants by mycorrhiza to maintain crop productivity and quality under water deficiency circumstances.
近年来，通过亏缺灌溉来节约灌溉用水是首要任务，特别是在干旱和半干旱地区。然而，缺水是阻碍全球作物生产的主要问题之一。此外，关于微生物接种（MI）对减轻西兰花干旱影响的生理效率的知识尚不清楚。我们假设丛枝菌根真菌（AMF）和木霉属真菌（TRI）可能具有不同的机制来调节西兰花的生理状态和生长，使其更能耐受干旱胁迫。
在2023 - 2024年和2024 - 2025年的两个季节进行了田间试验，以评估微生物接种对西兰花耐旱性的影响。在灌溉需求量的100%、80%、60%和40%（分别称为IR100、IR80、IR60和IR40）条件下施用菌根接种物（AMF）和木霉属接种物（TRI）。首先，在种子托盘播种后在苗圃中施用微生物接种剂，此外，在移栽后28天和38天通过滴灌系统分两次施用微生物接种剂，而灌溉制度在移栽后27天开始。试验采用条区设计，完全随机区组，重复三次（试验单元面积为12平方米）。在移栽后70天，评估西兰花叶片的土壤植株分析发育（SPAD）、膜稳定性指数（MSI）、相对含水量（RWC）、脯氨酸含量、酶促和非酶促抗氧化剂以及总抗氧化活性，而在移栽后85天，估计地上部和根部的鲜重和干重、叶面积和花球产量。
结果表明，与相应的对照处理相比，在不同干旱水平下施用AMF和TRI接种剂显著（P < 0.05）提高了SPAD、MSI和RWC，但AMF在IR60条件下的SPAD、TRI在IR60条件下的SPAD和MSI以及TRI在IR40条件下的SPAD除外。在IR60条件下，AMF在过氧化物酶、多酚氧化酶和超氧化物歧化酶方面实现了最大程度的提高（P < 0.05），过氧化物酶方面显著等同于（P > 0.05）TRI。AMF×IR60是使西兰花中总酚、总黄酮和总抗氧化活性达到最大值的有效组合，总酚方面等同于（P > 0.05）TRI×IR60组合。与相应的对照（CK）处理相比，在IR80条件下，由于AMF或TRI处理导致的脯氨酸含量增加分别为26.4%和30.0%，在IR60条件下为25.0%和15.6%，在IR40条件下为36.6%和32.5%。值得注意的是，IR80×AMF组合的地上部干重和花球产量值与IR100×AMF组合相似（P > 0.05）。
简而言之，可以得出结论，微生物接种，特别是AMF，可以减轻干旱的伤害。实际上，西兰花种植者可以通过用菌根接种植物将灌溉用水节省20%，从而在缺水情况下维持作物产量和品质。
