Effects of inoculating different mycorrhizal fungi on rhizosphere soil fungi and nutrient uptake of blueberry

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of inoculating with different fungi on the structural characteristics of soil fungal communities and the nutrient absorption of blueberry plants. The fungi DSE (Phialocephala fortinii), SS (Penicillium pinophilum), ZB (Cladosporium cladosporioides), QMK (Chaetomium globosum), and LZ (Schizophyllum commune) were selected for this study. The soil fungal diversity and community structure in the blueberry rhizosphere were compared after inoculation with these different mycorrhizal fungi. The fungal diversity in the blueberry rhizosphere soil was significantly higher after inoculation with DSE, QMK, and ZB than after inoculation with SS and LZ. The dominant class, order, family, and genus of soil fungi were Eurotiomycetes (25.49–36.91%), Eurotiales (24.78–35.00%), Aspergillaceae (24.47–34.74%), and Penicllium (24.34–34.63%), respectively. Among all the fungal treatments, DSE led to the highest abundance of dominant classes, orders, families, and genera. Inoculation with SS, LZ, and DSE increased the contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in blueberry plants. The uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were highest in DSE-inoculated plants. The nitrogen content was significantly higher in ZB-inoculated plants than in the control. A TOPSIS analysis showed that among the five fungi, DSE was the best strain to improve the diversity of the blueberry rhizosphere fungal community and promote nutrient uptake by blueberry plants, followed by LZ and ZB. These findings provide scientific data for the development and utilization of soil microbial resources, and provide useful information for improving the cultivation and production of blueberries.