Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in trap cultures are shaped by traditional host plants and agricultural soils

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculants are increasingly recognized as effective biofertilizers in sustainable agriculture. Typically, as a first step for AM fungi inoculum production, a trap culture system using mycotrophic host plants is commonly used to isolate AM fungi. However, the influen...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sakha, M., Gweyi-Onyango, J.P., Kaushal, M., Baijukya, F.P., Masso, C.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178439
_version_ 1855529515923537920
author Sakha, M.
Gweyi-Onyango, J.P.
Kaushal, M.
Baijukya, F.P.
Masso, C.
author_browse Baijukya, F.P.
Gweyi-Onyango, J.P.
Kaushal, M.
Masso, C.
Sakha, M.
author_facet Sakha, M.
Gweyi-Onyango, J.P.
Kaushal, M.
Baijukya, F.P.
Masso, C.
author_sort Sakha, M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculants are increasingly recognized as effective biofertilizers in sustainable agriculture. Typically, as a first step for AM fungi inoculum production, a trap culture system using mycotrophic host plants is commonly used to isolate AM fungi. However, the influence of traditional host plants and agricultural field soil on the composition of AM fungal communities in trap cultures remains poorly understood. The greenhouse study was conducted to assess the sporulation capacity of AM fungi by applying a trap culture technique using traditional varieties endemic to the semi-arid areas of eastern Kenya as host plants, along with soils sourced from the same area. The traditional varieties used included Kinyaanya maize, Vaasya sorghum, and Katumbuka beans. Soil samples were collected from 34 agricultural fields. Trap culture pots were established and maintained in a greenhouse for 120 days. The experiment was set up in a completely randomized design. AM fungi spores were extracted using the wet-sieving and decanting method, and healthy spores were selected for morphological analysis. Across all three host plants and the control (original agricultural field soils), six AM fungal genera were identified: Acaulospora, Scutellospora, Gigaspora, Dentiscutata, Racocetra, and Funneliformis. Our results demonstrated that traditional host plants differentially influence AM fungal sporulation. Notably, trap cultures revealed AM fungal species that were not detected in the control. The abundance of AM fungal spores showed a weak correlation with soil chemical properties. Additionally, the Maize variety proved to be a more effective host for propagating AM fungal spores compared to the other crops evaluated. These findings suggest that further research is needed to determine whether the co-culturing of multiple traditional host plants is as effective as the monoculture cultivation of a single host plant for AM fungi propagation.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace178439
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1784392025-12-03T02:09:52Z Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in trap cultures are shaped by traditional host plants and agricultural soils Sakha, M. Gweyi-Onyango, J.P. Kaushal, M. Baijukya, F.P. Masso, C. arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi landraces monoculture semi-arid soils Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculants are increasingly recognized as effective biofertilizers in sustainable agriculture. Typically, as a first step for AM fungi inoculum production, a trap culture system using mycotrophic host plants is commonly used to isolate AM fungi. However, the influence of traditional host plants and agricultural field soil on the composition of AM fungal communities in trap cultures remains poorly understood. The greenhouse study was conducted to assess the sporulation capacity of AM fungi by applying a trap culture technique using traditional varieties endemic to the semi-arid areas of eastern Kenya as host plants, along with soils sourced from the same area. The traditional varieties used included Kinyaanya maize, Vaasya sorghum, and Katumbuka beans. Soil samples were collected from 34 agricultural fields. Trap culture pots were established and maintained in a greenhouse for 120 days. The experiment was set up in a completely randomized design. AM fungi spores were extracted using the wet-sieving and decanting method, and healthy spores were selected for morphological analysis. Across all three host plants and the control (original agricultural field soils), six AM fungal genera were identified: Acaulospora, Scutellospora, Gigaspora, Dentiscutata, Racocetra, and Funneliformis. Our results demonstrated that traditional host plants differentially influence AM fungal sporulation. Notably, trap cultures revealed AM fungal species that were not detected in the control. The abundance of AM fungal spores showed a weak correlation with soil chemical properties. Additionally, the Maize variety proved to be a more effective host for propagating AM fungal spores compared to the other crops evaluated. These findings suggest that further research is needed to determine whether the co-culturing of multiple traditional host plants is as effective as the monoculture cultivation of a single host plant for AM fungi propagation. 2025 2025-12-02T13:05:29Z 2025-12-02T13:05:29Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178439 en Open Access application/pdf Sakha, M., Gweyi-Onyango, J.P., Kaushal, M., Baijukya, F.P. & Masso, C. (2025). Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in trap cultures are shaped by traditional host plants and agricultural soils. Journal of Fungi, 11(11): 792, 1-22.
spellingShingle arbuscular mycorrhiza
fungi
landraces
monoculture
semi-arid soils
Sakha, M.
Gweyi-Onyango, J.P.
Kaushal, M.
Baijukya, F.P.
Masso, C.
Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in trap cultures are shaped by traditional host plants and agricultural soils
title Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in trap cultures are shaped by traditional host plants and agricultural soils
title_full Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in trap cultures are shaped by traditional host plants and agricultural soils
title_fullStr Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in trap cultures are shaped by traditional host plants and agricultural soils
title_full_unstemmed Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in trap cultures are shaped by traditional host plants and agricultural soils
title_short Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in trap cultures are shaped by traditional host plants and agricultural soils
title_sort native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in trap cultures are shaped by traditional host plants and agricultural soils
topic arbuscular mycorrhiza
fungi
landraces
monoculture
semi-arid soils
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178439
work_keys_str_mv AT sakham nativearbuscularmycorrhizalfungalcommunitiesintrapculturesareshapedbytraditionalhostplantsandagriculturalsoils
AT gweyionyangojp nativearbuscularmycorrhizalfungalcommunitiesintrapculturesareshapedbytraditionalhostplantsandagriculturalsoils
AT kaushalm nativearbuscularmycorrhizalfungalcommunitiesintrapculturesareshapedbytraditionalhostplantsandagriculturalsoils
AT baijukyafp nativearbuscularmycorrhizalfungalcommunitiesintrapculturesareshapedbytraditionalhostplantsandagriculturalsoils
AT massoc nativearbuscularmycorrhizalfungalcommunitiesintrapculturesareshapedbytraditionalhostplantsandagriculturalsoils