The biomass and health-enhancing qualities of lettuce are amplified through the inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Abstract With lettuce being one of the most important green crops in the world, it is important to improve its growth and nutritive value. To this end, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) application to improve nutrient-dense foods and the production of bioactive compounds in plants is a promising a...

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Main Authors: Ahlem Zrig, Emad A. Alsherif, Abeer S. Aloufi, Shereen Magdy Korany, Samy Selim, Mohammed S. Almuhayawi, Muyassar K. Tarabulsi, Mousa Nhs, Hibah M. Albasri, Nahla Alsayd Bouqellah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-04-01
Series:BMC Plant Biology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06317-z
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author Ahlem Zrig
Emad A. Alsherif
Abeer S. Aloufi
Shereen Magdy Korany
Samy Selim
Mohammed S. Almuhayawi
Muyassar K. Tarabulsi
Mousa Nhs
Hibah M. Albasri
Nahla Alsayd Bouqellah
author_facet Ahlem Zrig
Emad A. Alsherif
Abeer S. Aloufi
Shereen Magdy Korany
Samy Selim
Mohammed S. Almuhayawi
Muyassar K. Tarabulsi
Mousa Nhs
Hibah M. Albasri
Nahla Alsayd Bouqellah
author_sort Ahlem Zrig
collection DOAJ
description Abstract With lettuce being one of the most important green crops in the world, it is important to improve its growth and nutritive value. To this end, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) application to improve nutrient-dense foods and the production of bioactive compounds in plants is a promising approach. AMF is applied to increase plant growth, primary metabolism, mineral profile and accumulation of secondary (phenols, flavonoids) metabolites. AMF treated plants showed increased biomass accumulation by 38.8%. This increase was in line with increased levels of photosynthesis rate and the total chlorophyll content by approximately 28.8%, respectively. In nutritive value, AMF increased mineral profile, vitamin contents and carbohydrate as indicated by D-mannose, L-galactose, and vitamin E (p < 0.05) by approximately 32.7%, 25%, and 46.6%, respectively. The AMF-treated lettuce's proximate composition revealed considerably greater levels of total protein (7.8%), as well as crude fiber, ash, and carbohydrates (about 7%) compared to control samples (p < 0.05). Furthermore, AMF inoculation increased levels of antioxidants, essential amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acids. It increased the levels of antioxidants such as alpha and beta carotene, polyphenols, which was correlated with increased phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) enzyme activity. Treatment with AMF resulted in an increase of more than 76% of the detected amino acids, with the highest increment observed for isoleucine, methionine and biosynthetic enzyme (cystathionine γ-synthase (CGS)), and which were 200%, 270.2%, and 153.5%, respectively. Increased bioactive accumulation also resulted in improved antioxidant and antidiabetic and antibacterial activities against a variety of pathogenic microorganisms. The findings indicate that the AMF treatment is a feasible method for enhancing lettuce's biological characteristics and health-promoting attributes.
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issn 1471-2229
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publishDate 2025-04-01
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spelling doaj-art-a6b269b411d74643ac3368bcb2ee5d132025-08-20T03:14:07ZengBMCBMC Plant Biology1471-22292025-04-0125111510.1186/s12870-025-06317-zThe biomass and health-enhancing qualities of lettuce are amplified through the inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungiAhlem Zrig0Emad A. Alsherif1Abeer S. Aloufi2Shereen Magdy Korany3Samy Selim4Mohammed S. Almuhayawi5Muyassar K. Tarabulsi6Mousa Nhs7Hibah M. Albasri8Nahla Alsayd Bouqellah9Chemical Engineering Department, Laboratory of Engineering Processes and Industrial Systems, National School of Engineers of Gabes, University of GabesBotany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Beni-Suef UniversityDepartment of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman UniversityDepartment of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman UniversityDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf UniversityDepartment of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz UniversityDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of JeddahBotany & Microbiology Department, Faculty of science, Assiut UniversityDepartment of Biology, College of Science, Taibah UniversityDepartment of Biology, College of Science, Taibah UniversityAbstract With lettuce being one of the most important green crops in the world, it is important to improve its growth and nutritive value. To this end, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) application to improve nutrient-dense foods and the production of bioactive compounds in plants is a promising approach. AMF is applied to increase plant growth, primary metabolism, mineral profile and accumulation of secondary (phenols, flavonoids) metabolites. AMF treated plants showed increased biomass accumulation by 38.8%. This increase was in line with increased levels of photosynthesis rate and the total chlorophyll content by approximately 28.8%, respectively. In nutritive value, AMF increased mineral profile, vitamin contents and carbohydrate as indicated by D-mannose, L-galactose, and vitamin E (p < 0.05) by approximately 32.7%, 25%, and 46.6%, respectively. The AMF-treated lettuce's proximate composition revealed considerably greater levels of total protein (7.8%), as well as crude fiber, ash, and carbohydrates (about 7%) compared to control samples (p < 0.05). Furthermore, AMF inoculation increased levels of antioxidants, essential amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acids. It increased the levels of antioxidants such as alpha and beta carotene, polyphenols, which was correlated with increased phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) enzyme activity. Treatment with AMF resulted in an increase of more than 76% of the detected amino acids, with the highest increment observed for isoleucine, methionine and biosynthetic enzyme (cystathionine γ-synthase (CGS)), and which were 200%, 270.2%, and 153.5%, respectively. Increased bioactive accumulation also resulted in improved antioxidant and antidiabetic and antibacterial activities against a variety of pathogenic microorganisms. The findings indicate that the AMF treatment is a feasible method for enhancing lettuce's biological characteristics and health-promoting attributes.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06317-zLettuceAntioxidantsNutritive valueOrganic acidVitaminsMinerals
spellingShingle Ahlem Zrig
Emad A. Alsherif
Abeer S. Aloufi
Shereen Magdy Korany
Samy Selim
Mohammed S. Almuhayawi
Muyassar K. Tarabulsi
Mousa Nhs
Hibah M. Albasri
Nahla Alsayd Bouqellah
The biomass and health-enhancing qualities of lettuce are amplified through the inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
BMC Plant Biology
Lettuce
Antioxidants
Nutritive value
Organic acid
Vitamins
Minerals
title The biomass and health-enhancing qualities of lettuce are amplified through the inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
title_full The biomass and health-enhancing qualities of lettuce are amplified through the inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
title_fullStr The biomass and health-enhancing qualities of lettuce are amplified through the inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
title_full_unstemmed The biomass and health-enhancing qualities of lettuce are amplified through the inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
title_short The biomass and health-enhancing qualities of lettuce are amplified through the inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
title_sort biomass and health enhancing qualities of lettuce are amplified through the inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
topic Lettuce
Antioxidants
Nutritive value
Organic acid
Vitamins
Minerals
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06317-z
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