Co-Inoculation of Bradyrhizobium and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Alleviates the Effects of Drought Stress in Soybean (Glycine max L.)

Year 2025, Volume: 30 Issue: 1, 235 - 248, 23.06.2025

Mohammad Ali Zirak- Qoturbulagh Shahram Mehri Hossein Soleimanzadeh Mohammad Hossein Ansari

https://doi.org/10.17557/tjfc.1519684

Abstract

Legumes are sensitive to drought stress, which adversely affects their
seed yield, protein and oil content. This was investigated in a two-year
field experiment conducted using a split-plot design with three
replications in the Mughan plain, Ardabil. The experimental factors
included drought stress as the main plot at three levels (60, 100, and 140
mm of evaporation from a class A pan) and the co-inoculation of soybean
symbiotic bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus species across
eight treatments (Bradyrhizobium japonicum, Funneliformis mosseae,
Rhizophagus irregularis, Glomus fasciculatum, B. japonicum + F.
mosseae, B. japonicum + R. irregularis, B. japonicum + G. fasciculatum,
and control) as the subplot. The results revealed that heightened drought
stress led to a reduction in plant dry weight, pod number, seed number
per plant, and seed yield in all treatments in both study years. However,
this reduction was less pronounced in some treatments, especially those
involving co-inoculation with B. japonicum + R. irregularis and B.
japonicum + G. fasciculatum. Conversely, all treatments exhibited an
increase in stomatal resistance, chlorophyll a concentration, soluble
sugars, malondialdehyde (MDA), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide
dismutase (SOD) under drought conditions (100 and 140 mm) compared
to the normal irrigation conditions (I60). The saturated fatty acids
(palmitic and stearic acids) declined in inoculated plants compared to the
control, while the trend was the opposite for unsaturated fatty acids
(linoleic, linoneic, and oleic acids). Drought stress increased palmitic acid
content by up to 32.4% and reduced linolenic acid content by up to 13.4%.
Among the treatments, co-inoculation with B. japonicum + R. irregularis
and B. japonicum + G. fasciculatum demonstrated a more significant
improvement in the soybean’s drought tolerance compared to the others.
Given these results, inoculating soybean plants with rhizobial bacteria
and R. irregularis mycorrhizae can be recommended as a strategy to
enhance their drought resistance and improve their seed yield and oil
quality.

Keywords

Antioxidant enzymes , Drought stress , Mycorrhiza , Oil quality , Soybean.

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