Growth and mycorrhizal responses to cadmium stress in some halophytic plants

Abstract

2Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University, Mostaganem, Algeria. The phytoremedial potential of three halophytes and the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) isolated from heavy metal contaminated soil under cadmium stress were studied. The plants were treated with different Cd concentrations (0, 50, 200, and 400 µM) with and without AMF inoculation. On the plant growth, AMF inoculation to all species resulted in increased biomass, shoots and roots length, and leave number compared to control (non-inoculated) plants, especially in Limbarda crithmoides, where no mortality was detected neither in controls nor inoculants. Furthermore, L. crithmoides and Atriplex canescens recorded higher values of relative mycorrhizal dependency and water content. The arbuscular mycorrhizal association was observed in all host plants and was not affected by cadmium. Our results indicate that studied halophytes can tolerate high Cd concentrations due to the support of AMF, particularly in Atriplex halimus association with AMF in pot experiment which was recorded for the first time.

Keywords

• Halophytes
• arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
• Cd concentrations
• plant growth