Promotion of maize growth by a yellow morel, Morchella crassipes

Abstract

AbstractFungal species of morel (genus Morchella) have recently been found to form a symbiotic relationship with grasses. Our previous study documented that M. crassipes from Shaanxi, northwest China, increased growth of sweet corn Zea mays var. saccharata and suppressed Fusarium infections. In the present study, we examined the effect of M. crassipes inoculation on dent corn, Zea mays var. indentata cv. Plant growth response indexes and variables and soil variables were used to demonstrate how M. crassipes inoculation stimulates maize growth. Three suspensions of M. crassipes mycelium (50, 100, 150 mL) were inoculated into Zea may var. indentata. The results showed that M. crassipes inoculation significantly affected growth of all the inoculated maize plants and influenced some variables and indexes that are related to tissue specificity and dose dependence. Soil moisture, available K and P accumulation by M. crassipes were affected in inoculated plants and resulted in growth enhancements that were equal to that of the plants treated with urea. Our findings reveal that inoculation with M. crassipes had a positive effect on maize yield, making the crop system more sustainable. Thus M. crassipes has the potential to become a supplement or an alternative to urea fertilizers.