Abstract
In this study, we determined whether inoculating sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench cv. NK-3657) seedlings with a vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungus (Schenck and Smith) would enhance plant yield under drought conditions.
Seven-day-old seedlings were inoculated with the fungus and irrigated to field capacity for an additional 7 days. Daily irrigation treatments of I1 (dry, -0.56 to -1.4 MPa), I2 (moderately dry, -0.15 to -0.48 MPa), and I3 (wet, -0.03 to -0.06 MPa) were then imposed with a line-source sprinkler.
Under moderately dry soil conditions, growth, photosynthetic rate, and stomatal conductance of G. intraradices-colonized sorghum plants were significantly greater than in uncolonized plants. Results indicate that the VAM fungus enhanced yield of sorghum plants under drought conditions.
Why This Research Matters
This study demonstrates one of the core benefits of mycorrhizal inoculation: drought resistance. When water is limited, plants with established mycorrhizal networks are better equipped to maintain photosynthesis, stomatal function, and yield. This has important implications for agriculture in water-stressed regions.
Big Foot Mycorrhizae products contain Glomus intraradices (now classified as Rhizophagus irregularis) -- the same species studied here -- along with additional endomycorrhizal species for broad-spectrum coverage across plant types and conditions.