Indian Journal of Agricultural Research

  • Chief EditorT. Mohapatra

  • Print ISSN 0367-8245

  • Online ISSN 0976-058X

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Indian Journal of Agricultural Research, volume 56 issue 6 (december 2022) : 696-704

​Impact of A Selected Mycorrhizal Complex and A Rhizobacterial Species on Tomato Plants’ Growth under Water Stress Conditions

Slimani Afafe, Harkousse Oumaima, Mazri Mouaad Amine, Zouahri Abdelmajid, Ouahmane Lahcen, Koussa Tayeb, Al Feddy Mohamed Najib
1National Institute of Agronomic Research, Plant Protection Unit, Laboratory of Phyto-Bacteriology, 40000  Marrakech, Morocco.
Cite article:- Afafe Slimani, Oumaima Harkousse, Amine Mouaad Mazri, Abdelmajid Zouahri, Lahcen Ouahmane, Tayeb Koussa, Najib Mohamed Feddy Al (2022). ​Impact of A Selected Mycorrhizal Complex and A Rhizobacterial Species on Tomato Plants’ Growth under Water Stress Conditions. Indian Journal of Agricultural Research. 56(6): 696-704. doi: 10.18805/IJARe.A-647.
Background: Plant strategies for adapting to drought could be improved by associations between plant roots and soil microorganisms, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). In this study, the impact of a selected AMF complex and a selected PGPR species on the growth of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) under induced water stress was evaluated.
Methods: Three different inoculation treatments were applied to tomato seedlings (a complex of AMF composed mainly of Glomus genus a Bacillus sp. PGPR treatment and a combination of both) and three different water levels (75%, 50% and 25% of field capacity).
Result: A significant damaging impact of drought on tomato growth parameters and root mycorrhizal colonization, although the presence of microbes stimulated tomato plants growth and decreased the impact ofdrought stress. Indeed inoculated plants presented greater heights, fresh and dry weights, leaves number and area; greater water status; and greater proteins, sugars and chlorophylls contents either with the AMF complex or the Bacillus sp. in normal and drought stress conditions compared to the non-inoculated plants. However dual inoculation recorded the highest values under all water levels treatments.

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