Effects of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Gigaspora albida (Gigasporaceae) on the Physiology, Growth, and Na/K Balance of Creole Corn (Poaceae) Under Different Salinity Levels

Maria Valdiglezia de Mesquita Arruda, Nildo da Silva Dias (), Cynthia Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, Eduardo Cezar Medeiros Saldanha, Pedro Henrique de Araújo Gurgel, Marcondes Ferreira Costa Filho, Matheus Henrique de Alencar Souza, Natanael da Silva Rodrigues, Marcelo Augusto Costa Lima, Maria Elisa da Costa Souza, Leonardo Ângelo Mendonça, Kleane Targino Oliveira Pereira, Rômulo Carantino Lucena Moreira, Micharlyson Carlos de Morais and José Francismar de Medeiros
Additional contact information
Maria Valdiglezia de Mesquita Arruda: Soil and Water Salinity Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid—UFERSA, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
Nildo da Silva Dias: Soil and Water Salinity Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid—UFERSA, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
Cynthia Cavalcanti de Albuquerque: Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Laboatory, State University of Rio Grande do Norte—(UERN), Mossoró 59610-210, Brazil
Eduardo Cezar Medeiros Saldanha: Soil and Water Salinity Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid—UFERSA, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
Pedro Henrique de Araújo Gurgel: Soil and Water Salinity Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid—UFERSA, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
Marcondes Ferreira Costa Filho: Soil and Water Salinity Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid—UFERSA, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
Matheus Henrique de Alencar Souza: Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Laboatory, State University of Rio Grande do Norte—(UERN), Mossoró 59610-210, Brazil
Natanael da Silva Rodrigues: Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Laboatory, State University of Rio Grande do Norte—(UERN), Mossoró 59610-210, Brazil
Marcelo Augusto Costa Lima: Soil and Water Salinity Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid—UFERSA, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
Maria Elisa da Costa Souza: Soil and Water Salinity Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid—UFERSA, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
Leonardo Ângelo Mendonça: Soil and Water Salinity Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid—UFERSA, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
Kleane Targino Oliveira Pereira: Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Laboatory, State University of Rio Grande do Norte—(UERN), Mossoró 59610-210, Brazil
Rômulo Carantino Lucena Moreira: Soil and Water Salinity Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid—UFERSA, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
Micharlyson Carlos de Morais: Soil and Water Salinity Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid—UFERSA, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
José Francismar de Medeiros: Soil and Water Salinity Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid—UFERSA, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-27

Abstract: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMFs) can alleviate salt stress in plants by promoting growth. The mitigating effect of the AMF Gigaspora albida on the physiology, growth, and Na⁺/K⁺ balance in heirloom maize under different dilutions of saline wastewater was evaluated. The study was conducted in a greenhouse under a completely randomized design (CRD) in a 3 × 4 factorial scheme, with six replicates. The treatments consisted of three mycorrhizal conditions (M1—control plants without the AMF; M2—plants inoculated with G. albida; and M3—plants inoculated with G. albida plus the soil microbiota) and four levels of electrical conductivity (ECw): 0.5, 1.8, 3.1, and 4.4 dS m −1 . The results indicate that saline wastewater affects the physiology of heirloom maize. The symbiosis in M2 and M3 mitigated the stress in PSII by dissipating heat. The M3 treatment alleviated ionic stress in maize, reduced the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio in the aerial part, and increased the MSPA, MSRA, AP, and DC at EC a levels of 1.8 and 3.1 dS m −1 . The M1 plants adapted by investing in root growth to tolerate the high salinity. In M2, the plant–AMF interaction did not mitigate the effects of high salinity, showing the worst growth performance. The saline wastewater reduced the percentage of G. albida colonization. An EC a of 2.9 dS m −1 favored a high spore density.

Keywords: abiotic stress; attenuators; spore density; saline waste; mycorrhiza (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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