Symbiosis of AMF with growth modulation and antioxidant capacity of Caucasian Hackberry (Celtis Caucasica L.) seedlings under drought stress

Beside climate changes, drought stress has become a serious limitated factor for plant production and seedling growth. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) symbiosis has proposed to improve the growth and water efficiency under limited-water condition. For this purpose, Caucasian Hackberry (Celtis Caucasica L.) seedlings inoculate with mycorrhizal fungi Rhizophagus intraradices and Funneliformis mosseae under well-watered and water deficient conditions. The mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal seedlings were treated under 75 % FC (as control), 50 and 25 % FC for 90-days. The Result showed that the plant growth parameters dry shoot weight, leaf area, seedling height, dry root weight, length of root, number of secondary root, and chlorophyll content were greater in mycorrhizal seedlings in comparison with non-inoculated seedlings under normal irrigation and drought treatments. AMF symbiosis decreased H2O2 and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in leaves. The positive correlation was observed between colonization rate and plant growth as well as antioxidant enzymes activity, remarkably. These results suggest that AMF symbiosis is a potential tool to alleviating the detriment created by drought stress on young seedling by elevating plant growth, reducing membrane lipid peroxidation, raising cell wall stability and increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes.