Open Access

ARTICLE

Species Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Rhizosphere of Hevea brasiliensis in Hainan Island, China

Xiubing Gao^1,3, Jiejie Lv², Can Guo¹, Anlong Hu³, Xiaomao Wu³, Zengping Li^4,*

1 Guizhou Tea Research Institute, Guizhou Province Academy of Agricultural Science, Guiyang, 550006, China
2 Agricultural Technology Research and Extension Center of Qiongzhong Li and Miao Autonomous County, Qiongzhong, 572900, China
3 The Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management in Mountainous Region, Institute of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
4 College of Environment and Plant Protection, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

* Corresponding Author: Zengping Li. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Mycorrhizal Fungi and Sustainable Development of Agriculture)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2021, 90(1), 179-192. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2021.012968

Received 20 July 2020; Accepted 31 July 2020; Issue published 20 November 2020

Abstract

Hevea brasiliensis is one of the important economic trees with a great economic value for natural rubber production. Symbiosis between roots of H. brasiliensis and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is widely recognized, and can provide a range of benefits for both of them. Hainan Island harbors is one of the largest plantations of H. brasiliensis in China, whereas the information regarding the diversity of AMF in the rhizosphere of H. brasiliensis on this island is scarce. The diversity of AMF species in the rhizosphere of rubber tree plantations in Hainan was investigated in this study. A total of 72 soil samples from the rhizosphere of H. brasiliensis RY7-33-97 were collected. These included 48 samples from plantations in 11 cities or counties that had been planted for 15–25 years, and 24 samples from a demonstrating plantation site of the China National Rubber Tree Germplasm Repository representing plantations with tree plantation ages from one to 40 year-old. Collectively, a total of 68 morphotypes of AMF, belonging to the genera of Archaeospora (1), Glomus (43), Acaulospora (18), Entrophospora (3), Scutellospora (2), and Gigaspora (1) were isolated and identified, as per morphological characteristics of spores presented in the collected soil samples. Glomus (Frequency, F = 100%) and Acaulospora (F = 100%) were the predominant genera, and A. mellea (F = 63.9%) and A. scrobiculata (F = 63.9%) were the predominant species. AMF species differed significantly among collected sites in spore density (SD, 290.7–2,186.7 spores per 100 g dry soil), species richness (SR, 4.3–12.3), and Shannon-Weiner index of diversity (H, 1.24–2.24). SD was negatively correlated with available phosphorus level in the soil; SR was positively correlated with soil total phosphorus content; and H was positively correlated with levels of soil organic matter and total phosphorus. Similarly, SD, SR, and H were also correlated with H. brasiliensis plantation age, and an increasing trend was observed up to 40 years. These results suggest that the AMF community was complex and ubiquitous in the island plantation ecosystems of H. brasiliensis, with high species abundance and diversity. Soil factors and plantation age dramatically affected AMF diversity at species level.

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