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AOBPreview originally published online on June 17, 2004
Annals of Botany 2004 94(2):251-258; doi:10.1093/aob/mch135
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Annals of Botany 94/2, © Annals of Botany Company 2004; all rights reserved

The Influence of Rhizobium and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Nitrogen and Phosphorus Accumulation by Vicia faba

YINSUO JIA, VINCENT MYLES GRAY* and COLIN JOHN STRAKER

School of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of the Witwatersrand, Private bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa

* For correspondence. E-mail vince{at}gecko.biol.wits.ac.za

Received: 1 September 2003    Returned for revision: 23 January 2004    Accepted: 8 April 2004    Published electronically: 17 June 2004

• Background and Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the interactions between the microbial symbionts, Rhizobium and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on N and P accumulation by broad bean (Vicia faba) and how increased N and P content influence biomass production, leaf area and net photosynthetic rate.

• Methods A multi-factorial experiment consisting of four different legume–microbial symbiotic associations and two nitrogen treatments was used to investigate the influence of the different microbial symbiotic associations on P accumulation, total N accumulation, biomass, leaf area and net photosynthesis in broad bean grown under low P conditions.

• Key Results AMF promoted biomass production and photosynthetic rates by increasing the ratio of P to N accumulation. An increase in P was consistently associated with an increase in N accumulation and N productivity, expressed in terms of biomass and leaf area. Photosynthetic N use efficiency, irrespective of the inorganic source of N (e.g. NO3– or N2), was enhanced by increased P supply due to AMF. The presence of Rhizobium resulted in a significant decline in AMF colonization levels irrespective of N supply. Without Rhizobium, AMF colonization levels were higher in low N treatments. Presence or absence of AMF did not have a significant effect on nodule mass but high N with or without AMF led to a significant decline in nodule biomass. Plants with the Rhizobium and AMF symbiotic associations had higher photosynthetic rates per unit leaf area.

• Conclusions The results indicated that the synergistic or additive interactions among the components of the tripartite symbiotic association (Rhizobium–AMF–broad bean) increased plant productivity.

Key words: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), nitrogen, phosphorus, Rhizobium, Vicia faba


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