Identification and characterization of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plants growing under organic and conventional farming conditions in Oman

Although arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are widespread in both natural and agricultural environments, their biodiversity and community structure are not well understood. This is particularly true for the influences of different farming practices on their taxonomic distribution. This study aimed...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ali Al-Hinai, Rhonda Janke, Ewald Sieverding, Muhammad Farooq, Daniel Menezes-Blackburn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:Soil & Environmental Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949919425000135
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850198804982136832
author Ali Al-Hinai
Rhonda Janke
Ewald Sieverding
Muhammad Farooq
Daniel Menezes-Blackburn
author_facet Ali Al-Hinai
Rhonda Janke
Ewald Sieverding
Muhammad Farooq
Daniel Menezes-Blackburn
author_sort Ali Al-Hinai
collection DOAJ
description Although arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are widespread in both natural and agricultural environments, their biodiversity and community structure are not well understood. This is particularly true for the influences of different farming practices on their taxonomic distribution. This study aimed to investigate the influence of organic and conventional farming on AMF diversity in the rhizosphere soils of three crops includng mango, citrus and cucumber from Oman. Spore morphological analysis and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing were used to identify AMF species diversity. Spore morphological analysis revealed a total of 9 families, 20 genera, and 36 species, and in general, organic farming samples showed higher diversity than conventional farming samples. The ITS sequencing analysis showed the presence of 6 families and 12 genera, with organic farming samples being significantly more diverse than conventional farming samples based on the number of taxa and Shannon H index. Both spore morphology and ITS sequencing data showed that the families Diversisporaceae and Glomeraceae were the most abundant among all the treatments. Compared to their respective conventional soils, the mean percent mycorrhizal inoculum potential was significantly higher for the organic soils under cucumber, with the root colonization being also higher for organic soils under citrus. A quick colonizer trap culture method was used to determine which AMF species colonized and established in the roots after 14 days. AMF species including Rhizoglomus intraradices and Septoglomus viscosum quickly infected cucumber, and could potentially be used as biofertilizer inocula. The results help to understand the AMF diversity across different farming systems in semiarid and arid regions, as well as to promote and develop sustainable agriculture in these regions.
format Article
id doaj-art-8971ac4b2ab74921ab2f7396501fa1b2
institution OA Journals
issn 2949-9194
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Soil & Environmental Health
spelling doaj-art-8971ac4b2ab74921ab2f7396501fa1b22025-08-20T02:12:46ZengElsevierSoil & Environmental Health2949-91942025-04-013210014010.1016/j.seh.2025.100140Identification and characterization of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plants growing under organic and conventional farming conditions in OmanAli Al-Hinai0Rhonda Janke1Ewald Sieverding2Muhammad Farooq3Daniel Menezes-Blackburn4Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al- Khoud 123, Sultanate of OmanDepartment of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al- Khoud 123, Sultanate of OmanInstitute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute), Department for Plant Production and Agroecology in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrasse 13, D-70599 Stuttgart, GermanyDepartment of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al- Khoud 123, Sultanate of OmanDepartment of Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, PO Box 34, Al-Khoud, 123 Muscat, Sultanate of Oman; Corresponding author.Although arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are widespread in both natural and agricultural environments, their biodiversity and community structure are not well understood. This is particularly true for the influences of different farming practices on their taxonomic distribution. This study aimed to investigate the influence of organic and conventional farming on AMF diversity in the rhizosphere soils of three crops includng mango, citrus and cucumber from Oman. Spore morphological analysis and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing were used to identify AMF species diversity. Spore morphological analysis revealed a total of 9 families, 20 genera, and 36 species, and in general, organic farming samples showed higher diversity than conventional farming samples. The ITS sequencing analysis showed the presence of 6 families and 12 genera, with organic farming samples being significantly more diverse than conventional farming samples based on the number of taxa and Shannon H index. Both spore morphology and ITS sequencing data showed that the families Diversisporaceae and Glomeraceae were the most abundant among all the treatments. Compared to their respective conventional soils, the mean percent mycorrhizal inoculum potential was significantly higher for the organic soils under cucumber, with the root colonization being also higher for organic soils under citrus. A quick colonizer trap culture method was used to determine which AMF species colonized and established in the roots after 14 days. AMF species including Rhizoglomus intraradices and Septoglomus viscosum quickly infected cucumber, and could potentially be used as biofertilizer inocula. The results help to understand the AMF diversity across different farming systems in semiarid and arid regions, as well as to promote and develop sustainable agriculture in these regions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949919425000135Microbial diversityRhizosphere root zoneFarm soil propertiesAMF species richnessBiofertilizer inoculumSemiarid and arid regions
spellingShingle Ali Al-Hinai
Rhonda Janke
Ewald Sieverding
Muhammad Farooq
Daniel Menezes-Blackburn
Identification and characterization of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plants growing under organic and conventional farming conditions in Oman
Soil & Environmental Health
Microbial diversity
Rhizosphere root zone
Farm soil properties
AMF species richness
Biofertilizer inoculum
Semiarid and arid regions
title Identification and characterization of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plants growing under organic and conventional farming conditions in Oman
title_full Identification and characterization of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plants growing under organic and conventional farming conditions in Oman
title_fullStr Identification and characterization of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plants growing under organic and conventional farming conditions in Oman
title_full_unstemmed Identification and characterization of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plants growing under organic and conventional farming conditions in Oman
title_short Identification and characterization of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plants growing under organic and conventional farming conditions in Oman
title_sort identification and characterization of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plants growing under organic and conventional farming conditions in oman
topic Microbial diversity
Rhizosphere root zone
Farm soil properties
AMF species richness
Biofertilizer inoculum
Semiarid and arid regions
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949919425000135
work_keys_str_mv AT alialhinai identificationandcharacterizationofnativearbuscularmycorrhizalfungiinplantsgrowingunderorganicandconventionalfarmingconditionsinoman
AT rhondajanke identificationandcharacterizationofnativearbuscularmycorrhizalfungiinplantsgrowingunderorganicandconventionalfarmingconditionsinoman
AT ewaldsieverding identificationandcharacterizationofnativearbuscularmycorrhizalfungiinplantsgrowingunderorganicandconventionalfarmingconditionsinoman
AT muhammadfarooq identificationandcharacterizationofnativearbuscularmycorrhizalfungiinplantsgrowingunderorganicandconventionalfarmingconditionsinoman
AT danielmenezesblackburn identificationandcharacterizationofnativearbuscularmycorrhizalfungiinplantsgrowingunderorganicandconventionalfarmingconditionsinoman