Open Access

ARTICLE

Comparative Effects of Compost and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Versus NPK on Agro-Physiological, Biochemical and Tolerance Responses of Tomatoes to Drought

by Abderrahim Boutasknit^1,2,3,*, Wissal Benaffari^2,3, Mohamed Anli^2,3, Abdoussadeq Ouamnina^2,3, Amine Assouguem⁴, Rachid Lahlali^4,*, Abdelilah Meddich^2,3,5

1 Multidisciplinary Faculty of Nador, Mohammed Premier University, Nador, 62700, Morocco
2 Centre d’Agrobiotechnologie et Bioingénierie, Unité de Recherche labellisée CNRST (Centre AgroBio-tech-URL-CNRST-05), Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, 40000, Morocco
3 Laboratory of Agro-Food, Biotechnologies and Valorization of Plant Bioresources (AGROBIOVAL), Department of Biology, Faculty of Science Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University (UCA), Marrakesh, 40000, Morocco
4 Phytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, École Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Km10, Rte Haj Kaddour, Meknès, 50001, Morocco
5 African Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute (ASARI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Laayoune, 70000, Morocco

* Corresponding Authors: Abderrahim Boutasknit. Email: ; Rachid Lahlali. Email:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2024, 93(12), 3589-3616. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.057881

Received 29 August 2024; Accepted 07 November 2024; Issue published 31 December 2024

Abstract

Drought stress (DS) and overuse of chemical fertilizers cause considerable losses in the agro-physiological as well as biochemical performance of plants. In this context, considerable effort will be required to replace chemical fertilizers (NPK) with biostimulants as an important approach to enhance the productivity and sustainability of agriculture. Here, we evaluated the effect of separating and/or combining arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) with compost (C) in comparison to the use of NPK on the growth, physiological and biochemical of tomatoes under DS. The findings showed that DS significantly reduced the growth and physiological attributes of tomatoes. Furthermore, the treatment of AMF and C showed better results in agro-physiological and fruit quality compared to the NPK and control under DS. The combination of AMF and C (C+AMF) increased leaf water potential by 18.8%, stomatal conductance by 14.1%, fresh fruit weight by 25.0%, shoot dry matter by 104% and root dry matter by 56.1% compared to the control under DS. The study revealed that C+AMF caused a significant increase in sugar, protein and activity of polyphenoloxidase and peroxidase in leaves and fruits, and an opposite trend was observed in the case of malonaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide compared to NPK and control under DS. In conclusion, it is recommended to utilize the combination of AMF with compost to enhance the growth, yield, osmotic adjustment, and antioxidant capacity of tomato plants. This approach can boost their resilience to water stress and improve overall fruit quality.

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