Quantification of the ecophysiological advantages of mycorrhiza-maize symbiosis: A promising approach for sustainable food production systems

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Plant-Soil – “Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF)” system dynamics are driven by complex arrays of simultaneous cause-effect relationships. Understanding this complexity requires high sophisticated analytical tools and methods such as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). There has been no practical solution to determine plant-fungus coexistence efficacy. Therefore, the objective of this study is to find a multidisciplinary method to determine the contribution of AMF in coexistence with maize plant. Methods Confirmatory factor analysis divided the variables into two groups. On the ecophysiological basis, SEM was employed to above- and belowground relationships in corn-mycorrhizae fields. A SEM model was formulated including the path for cause-effect processes of capture and utilization of resources. The model was satisfactorily calibrated and validated. Results Applying multiple regression revealed that variables including leaf area index, stem diameter, dry matter, SPAD readings, plant height, canopy temperature have had the most causal effect to forming corn yield under field condition of inoculation by AMF. RMSEA = 0.14 and normalized chi-square = 1.97 indicated the model competence. The direct advantages of AMF symbiosis make an increase of 35 percent in resources capture (radiation and from the soil) by association. Conclusions These results could be used to manage crop producing systems according to ecological guidelines and environmentally sound operations. We recommend SEM as a crop-soil-AMF system quantifying tool for analyzing treatment effects also for complex arrays of management objectives. The method can employ to determine the efficacy of crop-AMF coexistence which in turn reveal related advantageous may resulted in widespread applying AMF in agroecosystems.