Salinity is one of the major threats to an agriculture production system and limits crop growth and productivity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form a mutualistic association with majority of land plants and play important role in stress tolerance. In the present study, effect of three mycorrhizal treatments, i.e., single-species AMF (Rhizoglomus intraradices), formulated AMF (Funneliformis mosseae and R. intraradices), and multispecies AMF (Rhizoglomus fasciculatum and Gigaspora sp.) along with control (nonmycorrhizal) on growth, yield performance, and metabolic changes in pea crop under salinity stress was examined in completely randomized design with four replications. The results revealed that AMF inoculation mitigated negative effects of salinity in pea due to higher nutrient uptake, accumulation of compatible osmolytes, and lower cellular leakage of electrolyte which in turn enhanced biomass production, chlorophyll synthesis, yield, and growth attributes. Overall, consortium-based application of R. fasciculatum and Gigaspora sp. was found most suitable approach to ameliorate the salt stress in pea crop and enhanced the yield by ~11%, 24%, and 54% than single-species, multispecies, and control treatments, respectively. The variation in results under different mycorrhizal treatment might be due to specific compatibility relationships that exist between symbionts.

The experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of silicon (Si) and phosphorus (P) application on crop productivity, grain quality, water-use efficiency (WUE), and soil enzyme activity in aerobic rice (AR) at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. Four levels each of Si (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg Si ha(-1)) and P (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg P(2)O(5)ha(-1)) were tested in a factorial randomized block design (FRBD) replicated thrice. The growth, yield and quality of AR were enhanced with increasing Si and P application rates and a similar trend was observed for WUE and soil enzyme activity. The highest grain yield of AR was recorded with 120 kg Si and 90 kg P(2)O(5)ha(-1)followed by 80 kg Si and 60 kg P(2)O(5)ha(-1)and the lowest in control. The grain, straw yield and water productivity increased by 10-40%, 5-30%, and 10.2-39%, respectively in different treatments over control. Though, all studied parameters showed increment with increasing dose of Si and P; however 60 kg P(2)O(5)and 80 kg Si ha(-1)were statistically superior to their other respective doses. In conclusion, supplementation of Si and P fertilizers substantially increased the AR productivity in Trans-Gangetic plains of India.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity and distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in the salt affected soils of Varanasi district. Saccharum munja Roxb. was predominate among all the vegetation and shown strong AM fungal colonisation. Soil characteristics revealed their neutral to alkali nature and habituated six genera and eight different species of AM fungi i.e. Acaulospora (1), Cetraspora (1), Entrophospora (1), Funneliformis (2- F. geosporum and F. mosseae), Glomus (1), Rhizolglomus (2- R. intraradices and R. fasciculatum) in the rhizosphere of native salt tolerant vegetation. Rhizolglomus fasciculatum was the most widely distributed species under strongly alkaline condition (52.96%) while Funneliformis mosseae was well distributed under slightly (22.99%) to moderately alkaline condition (35.78%). Soil alkalinity was observed to be detrimental for AMF but members of family Glomeraceae registered their presence more frequently (∼65%) with higher spore density showing strong adaptation which might be helpful in restoration of moderately to strongly alkaline disturbed eco-region.