Background: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) increase the uptake of minerals from the soil, thus improving the growth of the host plant. Nitrogen (N) is a main mineral element for plant growth, as it is an essential component of numerous plant compounds affecting fruit quality. The availability of N to plants also affects the AMF-plant interaction, which suggests that the quality of fruits could be affected by both factors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of three N treatments (3, 6 and 18 mmol L(-1)) in combination with inoculation with the AMF Glomus intraradices on the quality of strawberry fruits. The effects of each factor and their interaction were analysed.
Results: Nitrogen treatment significantly modified the concentrations of minerals and some phenolic compounds, while mycorrhization significantly affected some colour parameters and the concentrations of most phenolic compounds. Significant differences between fruits of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants were found for the majority of phenolic compounds and for some minerals in plants treated with 6 mmol L(-1) N. The respective values of fruits of mycorrhizal plants were higher.
Conclusion: Nitrogen application modified the effect of mycorrhization on strawberry fruit quality.
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