Inoculations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increase vegetable yields and decrease phoxim concentrations in carrot...

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Science
• Mycology

Background:

• Phoxim is a widely used organophosphate insecticide in vegetable farming.
• Phoxim residues in crops and soil pose risks to public health and ecosystems.
• The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in mitigating phoxim contamination is largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of AM fungi on vegetable growth under phoxim contamination.
• To assess the efficacy of AM fungi in reducing phoxim residues in plants and soil.
• To evaluate the potential of AM fungi for phytoremediation of pesticide-contaminated environments.

Main Methods:

• Greenhouse pot experiment with carrot and green onion.
• Inoculation with two AM fungal species (Glomus intraradices, G. mosseae) or a nonmycorrhizal control.
• Application of four phoxim rates (0-800 mg l(-1)) to soil before harvest.

Main Results:

• AM fungi significantly increased carrot and green onion biomass, irrespective of phoxim levels.
• AM inoculation reduced phoxim concentrations in plant tissues and soil.
• Phoxim application inhibited AM colonization in carrots but not green onions.
• Soil phosphatase activity increased with AM inoculation but was unaffected by phoxim.

Conclusions:

• AM fungi show significant potential for enhancing vegetable yield.
• AM fungi effectively reduce organophosphorus pesticide residues in crops and soil.
• AM fungi offer a sustainable approach for phytoremediation of pesticide-contaminated agricultural soils.