Effects of AM fungi on root biomechanical properties

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Publication Title
Effects of AM fungi on root biomechanical properties

Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a pivotal role in promoting plant growth by enhancing root biomass, cellulose content, and biomechanical properties of plant roots. The present study investigates the potential of AM fungi in conjunction with Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon L.) to optimize soil bioengineering methods. These environmentally friendly approaches effectively mitigate soil erosion by facilitating root adhesion to the soil matrix and reinforcing both mechanical and hydraulic properties by root biomechanical properties. The study focuses on assessing the impact of AM fungi on distinct growth and decay periods induced by controlled burning and herbicide treatments. Various parameters, including root biomass, cellulose content, and mechanical properties such as root tensile strength and root young’s modulus, are measured at different temporal intervals. The findings elucidate that the presence of AM fungi significantly augments plant root biomass and root tensile strength relative to the absence of AM fungi. However, during the decay period, the influence of AM fungi on root tensile strength can increase, but it is not statistically significant. Nonetheless, these properties are notably higher in the presence of AM fungi compared to their absence, suggesting that AM fungi enhance these traits predominantly during the growth phase. The outcomes of this study underscore the profound positive effects of AM fungi on plant root properties and provide valuable insights into their potential implementation in soil bioengineering.
Authors
T. Sakolpanya; V. Kamchoom; X. W. Chen; A. K. Leung

Published In

18th European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ECSMGE2024)

Theme

E - Environment, water and energy

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