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Differential strategies of two species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the protection of maize plants grown in chromium-contaminated soils

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Abstract

Chromium (Cr) is a nonessential element for plants that is extremely toxic at high concentrations. Zea mays L. is a species of plant that has developed adaptive mechanisms to increase its tolerance and absorption capacity for this metal. One effective mechanism is to form associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which help the plant cope with stress from heavy metals such as Cr. However, it is still not clear which species of AMF are more efficient as bioremediating agents for plants of agricultural importance. Here, we evaluated the effect of Gigaspora gigantea and Rhizophagus irregularis as protective agents of maize plants in soils contaminated with Cr at concentrations of 0, 48.5, 97 and 194 mg kg−1 under greenhouse conditions. Maize tolerance to Cr was corroborated, as well as increased absorption of this element by plants associated with both species of AMF. G. gigantea caused an increase in nitrogen content and greater translocation of Cr to the aerial part of the plant; R. irregularis registered an increase in the formation of arbuscules and vesicles with increasing metal concentration and greater retention of Cr in the roots of the plants. Based on these results, we can conclude that the analyzed species of fungi use different strategies, with similar effectiveness, to enhance the absorption capacity of Cr by the plant and influence the differential deposition of this metal in various parts of the plant.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo for providing financial support to carry out the project titled “Effect of the interaction of native communities of mycorrhizal fungi and actinomycetes on growth and nutrition of maize”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Genética Y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, , Francisco J. Múgica S/N. Col. Felicitas del Río, C.P. 58060, Morelia, Michoacán, México

    Maria de los Angeles Beltrán-Nambo, Nancy Rojas-Jacuinde, Miguel Martínez-Trujillo & Yazmín Carreón-Abud

  2. CONACYT- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas Y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro No. 8701, CP. 58190, Morelia, Michoacán, México

    Pablo Fabián Jaramillo-López

  3. CONACYT- Facultad de Biología, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Francisco J. Múgica S/N. Col. Felicitas del Río, C.P. 58060, Morelia, Michoacán, México

    Mariela Gómez Romero

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  1. Maria de los Angeles Beltrán-Nambo
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de los Angeles Beltrán-Nambo, M., Rojas-Jacuinde, N., Martínez-Trujillo, M. et al. Differential strategies of two species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the protection of maize plants grown in chromium-contaminated soils. Biometals 34, 1247–1261 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-021-00340-x

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