Synergistic Interaction of <i>Rhizobium tropici</i>, <i>Rhizophagus irregularis</i> and <i>Serendipita indica</i> in Promoting Snap Bean Growth
Hayet Beltayef,
Mouna Mechri,
Wafa Saidi,
Taqi Raza,
Rim Hajri,
Afef Othmani,
Khedija Bouajila,
Cristina Cruz,
Abeer Hashem,
Elsayed Fathi Abd_Allah,
Mongi Melki
Affiliations
Hayet Beltayef
Research Laboratory: Support for Sustainable Agricultural Productivity in the Northwest Region, Higher School of Agriculture, University of Jendouba, El Kef 7119, Tunisia
Mouna Mechri
National Institute of Field Crops, Boussalem 8170, Tunisia
Wafa Saidi
Research Laboratory: Support for Sustainable Agricultural Productivity in the Northwest Region, Higher School of Agriculture, University of Jendouba, El Kef 7119, Tunisia
Taqi Raza
The Department of Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
Rim Hajri
Research Laboratory of Agricultural Production Systems and Sustainable Development, College of Agriculture, The University of Carthage, Mograne Zaghouan 1121, Tunisia
Afef Othmani
Field Crops Laboratory, LR20-INRAT-02, National Agricultural Research Institute of Tunisia, University of Carthage, Ariana 2049, Tunisia
Khedija Bouajila
Soil Management, Regional Commissary for Agricultural Development of Beja-Northern Tunisia, Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries, Beja 9000, Tunisia
Cristina Cruz
cE3c—Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE, Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Bloco C2, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Abeer Hashem
Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Elsayed Fathi Abd_Allah
Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mongi Melki
Research Laboratory: Support for Sustainable Agricultural Productivity in the Northwest Region, Higher School of Agriculture, University of Jendouba, El Kef 7119, Tunisia
The overuse of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in crop farming has led to a decrease in crop quality and negative impacts on soil and the environment. It is crucial to adopt alternative strategies to maintain soil and environmental quality while enhancing crop growth and yield. To explore this, a study was conducted under greenhouse conditions to investigate the effect of Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 alone, as well as in association with mycorrhizae (Rhizophagus irregularis) and endophytic fungus (Serendipita indica), on the growth, yield, and nutrient status of snap bean plants. At harvest, the rhizobial strain CIAT 899 demonstrated the highest effectiveness. It significantly increased the number of nodules in both Contender and Garrafal Enana varieties by 6.97% and 14.81%, respectively, compared with the control without inoculation. Furthermore, the results indicated that co-inoculation of Rhizobium and symbiotic fungi had positive effects on nitrogen content, phosphorus availability, and overall plant growth. Regardless of the variety, plants inoculated with R. tropici CIAT 899 and Serendipita indica exhibited the highest values for plant growth parameters. This combination resulted in 168% and 135% increases in root dry biomass, as well as 140% and 225% increases in the number of pods for Contender and Garrafal Enana, respectively, compared with the control at harvest. Additionally, this study highlights the potential benefits of combining R. tropici with either Serendipita indica or Rhizophagus irregularis in terms of nitrogen and phosphorus uptake. These symbiotic microorganisms demonstrated synergistic interactions with snap bean plants, leading to improved mineral nutrition and enhanced growth. Overall, these findings suggest that utilizing these symbiotic microorganisms can effectively enhance the mineral nutrition and growth of snap bean plants.
