Fungos micorrízicos arbusculares e biocarvão na produção de mudas e no cultivo do morangueiro em substrato

Abstract

Producers who want to improve the production and quality of strawberry daughter plants and fruits, in line with sustainability in the cultivation of this horticultural crop, face the lack of biotechnological tools, such as inoculants based on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and biochar. Therefore, the work aimed to evaluate if the AMF-biochar interface has an influence on the production of daughter plants ex vitro and during the production cycle of strawberry cultivated in substrate. Thus, two studies were carried out, with the following objectives: 1) to investigate if AMF associated with biochar interfere in phytometric growth and in the phytochemical composition of plant tissues of strawberry daughter plants during ex vitro acclimatization; 2) test if the AMF-biochar interface modifies the morpho-horticultural performance of strawberry cultivated on substrate during its production cycle. The results showed that daughter plants produced with AMF had higher levels of total polyphenols and phenolic acids, but were not benefited in terms of growth and development. The combination of 9% of biochar with FMA improved the content of total flavonoids in the leaves of the daughter plants and benefited the activity of the enzyme phosphatase in the growing substrate. Substrate with up to 6% biochar and with mycorrhizae showed greater action of the enzyme β-glucosidase. The main effect during the strawberry production cycle was provided by mycorrhization. The use of AMF improved the phytometric growth of the plants and the total levels of anthocyanins, flavonoids and polyphenols in the fruits. It was also found that the use of biochar in strawberry cultivation improved mycorrhizal colonization, root biomass and plant quality. Plants grown with 9% biochar and inoculated with Claroideoglomus etunicatum showed a more robust root system, with a greater amount of thin roots. However, the mycorrhizal community is best expressed in substrate without biochar. In conclusion, this is the first study to provide information on the AMF-biochar interface during the ex vitro acclimatization phase of daughter plants and during the production cycle of strawberry grown on substrate. Considering people’s preference for the consumption of functional foods, the results of this study confirmed the potential of applying mycorrhizal biotechnology to strawberry plants as a valuable tool to improve the content of secondary metabolites in different plant organs. It is emphasized that the AMF-biochar interface can be an alternative to enhance the sustainability of the daughter plants production and strawberry cultivation system. Finally, these investigations fill the gap between biofuel engineering related to AMF in strawberry cultivation.