Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Enhancing Thermotolerance and Growth Performance of Onion (Allium cepa L.)
Authors: Maunata Ghorui a, Shouvik Chowdhury a, Balu Prakash b, Sashidhar Burla c*
a Symbiotic Sciences Pvt. Ltd., Plot no 575, Pace City-II, Sector 37, Gurugram, Haryana –122001, India.
b Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies (VISTAS), Pallavaram, Chennai-600117, India.
c ATGC Biotech Pvt. Ltd., Sy. No. 494, 495 & 496, ATGC Agri Biotech Innovation Square, TSIC Kolthur Biotech Park, Genome Valley, Hyderabad, Telangana – 500078, India.
Email: bshashidhar12@gmail.com *Corresponding author
Abstract
Global warming and increasing heat stress adversely affect crop development. This study assessed the potential of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) to mitigate high temperature (>35°C) stress in thermosensitive onion (Allium cepa). A completely randomized design with four treatments—Control (CT), AMF, high temperature (HT), and HT+AMF—each with three replicates, revealed significant differences (p < 0.05). HT-stressed plants showed the lowest shoot height (9.33 cm), root length (474.58 cm), and biomass (2.28 g), whereas HT+AMF improved these traits by >200%, >140%, and 75%, respectively, demonstrating AMF’s mitigating effect. Plants with AMF alone produced the highest growth (shoot 35.50 cm, root 1613.43 cm). Enzyme activity (acid and alkaline phosphatase) that peaked under HT, was reduced by AMF and was intermediate in plants with HT+AMF treatment, indicating moderation of stress responses. Nutrient acquisition (N, P, K) increased by 188%, 49%, and 24% in plants with HT+AMF treatments relative to HT-stressed plants, with mycorrhizal dependency highest (47.17%). Mechanistically, AMF improved nutrient uptake and phosphorus-related enzymatic functions, enhancing physiological stability. PCA and correlation analyses highlighted biomass, shoot, and root length as primary contributors to treatment differences and strong associations among nutrient uptake, enzyme activity, and growth. In conclusion, AMF inoculation enhances thermotolerance in onion, offering a sustainable strategy for maintaining productivity under rising temperatures.
Keywords: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus (AMF), high temperatures (HT), phenotypic, nutrient availability.
Document Type: Original Article
Citation: Ghorui, M., Chowdhury, S., Prakash B., Burla S. (2025). Role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in enhancing thermotolerance and growth performance of onion (Allium cepa L.). Mycological Spectrum, 1(2):80-99.
Received: 14 August 2025 | Accepted: 23 September 2025 | Published: 04 October 2025.
Handling Editor: Dr. S. K. Deshmukh | Reviewers: Dr. D. J. Bagyaraj and Dr. M. P. Sharma.
Copyright: ©2025 Ghorui, Chowdhury, Prakash, Burla. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution, or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor is credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution, or reproduction is permitted that does not comply with these terms.
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