Warming reduces the root density and wheat colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the Yaqui Valley, Mexico

Abstract

Some studies on the impact of climate changes on wheat have been carried out, but few have explained the possible variations in root morphology and associated microbial diversity. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of canopy temperature increases of 2°C in wheat during three experimental crop cycles on the initial and final root density and the presence of symbiotic association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) under field conditions. The warming treatment resulted in the highest percentage of roots (51%) at a greater depth than the control. The warming caused a 38% decrease in the presence of AMF and a 20% decrease in the number of spores per kilogram of soil. The warming treatment generated stress intensities of 18 and 17% in the amount of spore per kilogram of soil and percentage of colonization, respectively.