In this study the positive effects of Glomus intraradices symbiosis on growth, physiological and biochemical attributes of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) cv. “Crimson Sweet” and “Charleston Gray” in response to chilling stress were investigated. When subjected to chilling stress, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)-inoculated watermelon seedlings exhibited significantly higher root and shoot dry mass than non-AMF-inoculated plants. AMF symbiosis also improved chilling stress in watermelon seedlings via alterations in chlorophyll content and photosynthesis efficiency. Notably, AMF inoculation resulted in reduced chilling-induced oxidative stress evident by significantly decreased accumulation of H₂O₂ and malondialdehyde (MDA). Chilling stress enhanced leaf electrolyte leakage of watermelon seedlings, while inoculation of AMF significantly ameliorated electrolyte leakage by 9.91 and 11.58% in “Crimson Sweet” and “Charleston Gray”, respectively, under 36 h of chilling stress. AMF symbiosis combined with 36 h chilling stress significantly induced peroxidase (POX) activity (1.26- and 1.17-fold in “Crimson Sweet” and “Charleston Gray”, respectively) compared with non-AMF-inoculated seedlings. These results indicate that AMF symbiosis could play an important role in improving chilling resistance of watermelon seedlings by restoring photosynthesis efficiency and relieving chilling-induced oxidative stress.

中文翻译：

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丛枝菌根真菌接种增强西瓜的低温胁迫耐性

在这项研究中，Glomus内辐射共生对西瓜（Citrullus lanatus）cv的生长，生理和生化特性的积极影响。研究了“ Crimson Sweet”和“ Charleston Gray”对寒冷压力的响应。当遭受寒冷胁迫时，接种AMF的西瓜幼苗比未接种AMF的植物具有更高的根和茎干质量。AMF共生还通过改变叶绿素含量和光合作用效率来改善西瓜幼苗的低温胁迫。值得注意的是，AMF接种导致H ₂ O _2的积聚显着减少，这明显降低了冷却引起的氧化应激和丙二醛（MDA）。低温胁迫增强了西瓜幼苗叶片电解质的渗漏，而在36 h的低温胁迫下，接种AMF可使“深红色甜”和“查尔斯顿灰”中的电解质渗漏分别减少9.91％和11.58％。与未接种AMF的幼苗相比，AMF共生结合36 h低温胁迫可显着诱导过氧化物酶（POX）活性（“深红色甜”和“查尔斯顿灰色”分别为1.26和1.17倍）。这些结果表明，AMF共生可以通过恢复光合作用效率和缓解低温诱导的氧化胁迫，在提高西瓜幼苗的抗寒性中发挥重要作用。