Our study aimed to uncover the functions of two species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in soil aggregation and plant water content regulation under wetting-drying climate conditions. The climatic characteristics of seasonal drought in karst areas were simulated. Two watering periods were established in a controlled greenhouse to compare the different effects of two genetically different AMF species (Funneliformis mosseae and Rhizophagus intraradices) on the water content of 90-day-old mulberry seedlings and on soil aggregates. Our results showed that inoculation with the Rhizophagus intraradices (R.i) strain was more effective at improving mulberry growth performance than Funneliformis mosseae (F.m) inoculation under semiarid conditions. The AMF remained highly infective and continuously increased the proportion of soil macroaggregates under soil drought stress. As a result, our study showed the potential of AMF to promote sustainable mulberry plantations and the rehabilitation of degraded soil in karst areas of southwestern China.
Keywords: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus; Mulberry; Soil aggregation; Wetting–drying.