Abstract
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench cv. Bok 8) plants were inoculated with either the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungusGlomus fasciculatum, with a strain ofAzospirillum brasilense, or with both endophytes together. Non-inoculated plants were fertilized with quantities of N and P that had been found to compensate for the input of nutrients following azospirillum or glomus colonization. Total plant dry weight in all treatments was statistically indistinguishable at harvest (10 weeks). In general, plants colonized by Glomus contained less P, Mn, starch and sucrose, but more Cu, Zn and proline than P-fertilized plants. Azospirillum-inoculated sorghum contained less N, glucose, threonine and glutamine, but more Fe and glutamate than N-amended plants. Mycorrhizal roots contained five specific fatty acids not found in non-VAM plants. Inoculated plants displayed altered nutrient requirements, membrane composition and metabolite levels, indicating that colonization by these endophytes influenced host physiology, even under conditions where N or P input was negligible.
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Contribution from the Western Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS (CRIS No. 5325-41000-008).
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Pacovsky, R.S. Influence of inoculation withAzospirillum brasilense andGlomus fasciculatum on sorghum nutrition. Plant Soil 110, 283–287 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02226809
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02226809