Effects of wheat intercropping on growth and occurrence of Fusarium wilt in watermelon.
Watermelon is commonly affected by Fusarium wilt in a monoculture cropping system. Wheat intercropping alleviates the affection of Fusarium wilt of watermelon. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of wheat and watermelon intercropping on watermelon growth and Fusarium wilt. Our results showed that wheat and watermelon intercropping promoted growth, increased chlorophyll content, and photosynthesis of watermelon. Meanwhile, wheat and watermelon intercropping inhibited watermelon Fusarium wilt occurrence, decreased spore numbers, increased root vigor, increased antioxidant enzyme activities, and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content in watermelon roots. Additionally, wheat and watermelon intercropping enhanced the bacterial colonies and total microbes growth in soil, decreased fungi and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (FON) colonies, and increased soil enzyme activities in watermelon rhizosphere soil. Our results indicated that wheat and watermelon intercropping enhanced watermelon growth and decreased the incidence of Fusarium wilt in watermelon. These effects could be due to intercropping inducing physiological changes, regulating soil enzyme activities, and/or modulating soil microbial communities.
Lv H
,Yan C
《PeerJ》
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi by inducing watermelon roots secretion phthalates, altering soil enzyme activity and bacterial community composition to alleviate the watermelon wilt.
Long-term continuous cropping has resulted in the frequent occurrence of fusarium wilt of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). AMF inoculation can alleviate the continuous cropping barrier and reduce the incidence of fusarium wilt of watermelon. Our previous study found that the root exudates of mycorrhizal watermelon can enhance watermelon resistance to this disorder. It is necessary to further isolate and identify the specific compounds in root exudates of mycorrhizal watermelon and explore their control effects on fusarium wilt of continuous cropping watermelon.
The results of this study showed that the root system of watermelon seedlings inoculated with AMF (Funneliformis mosseae or Glomus versiforme) secreted diisooctyl phthalate (A) and dibutyl phthalate (B). Compared with water treatment, treatment with 0.1 ml/L (A1, B1), 0.5 ml/L (A2, B2) and 1 ml/L (A3, B3) of A or B significantly increased soil enzyme activities, the numbers of bacteria and actinomycetes, and the bacteria/fungi ratio in the rhizosphere. Furthermore, the Disease indexes (DI) of A1 and B3 were 25% and 20%, respectively, while the prevention and control effects (PCE) were 68.8% and 75%, respectively. In addition, diisooctyl phthalate or dibutyl phthalate increased the proportions of Gemmatimonadetes, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteria in the rhizosphere of continuous cropping watermelon, and decreased the proportions of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, with Novosphingobium, Kaistobacter, Bacillus, and Acinetobacter as the predominant bacteria. Compared with the water treatment, the abundance of Neosphingosaceae, Kateybacterium and Bacillus in the A1 group was increased by 7.33, 2.14 and 2.18 times, respectively, while that in the B2 group was increased by 60.05%, 80.24% and 1 time, respectively. In addition, exogenous diisooctyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate were shown to promote growth parameters (vine length, stem diameter, fresh weight and dry weight) and antioxidant enzyme system activities (SOD, POD and CAT) of continuous cropping watermelon.
Lower watermelon fusarium wilt incidence in mycorrhizal watermelons was associated with phthalate secretion in watermelons after AMF inoculation. Exogenous diisooctyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate could alleviate the continuous cropping disorder of watermelon, reduce the incidence of fusarium wilt, and promote the growth of watermelon by increasing the enzyme activities and the proportion of beneficial bacteria in rhizosphere soil. In addition, the low concentration of phthalate diisooctyl and high concentration of phthalic acid dibutyl works best. Therefore, a certain concentration of phthalates in the soil can help alleviate continuous cropping obstacles.
Li W
,Zhu C
,Song Y
,Yuan Y
,Li M
,Sun Y
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《BMC PLANT BIOLOGY》