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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Co-inoculation of lucerne (Medicago sativa) with an AM fungus and a rhizobium reduces occurrence of spring black stem and leaf spot caused by Phoma medicaginis

Ping Gao orcid.org/0000-0002-0957-9464 A B C , Yingde Li A B , Yane Guo A B and Tingyu Duan A B D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China.

B College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China.

C Eco-Environment and Plant Protection Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201403, China.

D Corresponding author. Email: duanty@lzu.edu.cn

Crop and Pasture Science 69(9) 933-943 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP18135
Submitted: 04 April 2018  Accepted: 10 July 2018   Published: 7 August 2018

Abstract

Spring black stem and leaf spot of lucerne (alfalfa, Medicago sativa L.), caused by Phoma medicaginis, is an important disease in temperate regions of the world. It is now a serious disease threatening global lucerne production. This experiment was designed to test the combined effects of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Funneliformis mosseae and the rhizobium Sinorhizobium medicae on growth, nutrient uptake and disease severity in lucerne. The results showed that F. mosseae increased plant phosphorus and nitrogen uptake and plant dry weight, and this beneficial effect was enhanced when in association with S. medicae. Rhizobial and AM fungal effects were mutually promoting; inoculation with AM fungus significantly increased the formation of root nodules, and inoculation with rhizobium increased the percentage of root length colonised by AM fungus (P < 0.05). After infection with P. medicaginis, typical leaf spot symptoms with the lowest disease incidence and disease index occurred on plants that were host to both F. mosseae and S. medicae. Plants with both symbiotic microorganisms had higher activities (concentrations) of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase, lignin, hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein and jasmonic acid. Therefore, the tested AM fungus (F. mosseae) and rhizobium (S. medicae) have the potential to reduce damage and yield loss in lucerne from spring black stem and leaf spot caused by P. medicaginis.

Additional keywords: biocontrol, HRGP, PAL.


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