Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in salt-tolerance species and halophytes growing in salt-affected soils of South America

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ubiquitous soil microorganisms that establish a direct physical link between soil and plant roots constituting an integral component of the natural ecosystems being present in saline environment. These fungi are associated with the roots of over 80% terrestrial plant species including halophytes. Compared with other parts of the world, published information on halophytes vegetation adapted to saline environments in South America, and even more so on their utilization, is quite scarce. This work showed the mycorrhizal status of halophytes and salt-tolerance species capable of growing in salty soils, used as a forage resource for livestock. Specially we made a focus in two saline soils of Argentinean Pampas and Salinas Grandes dominated by Lotus tenuis and members of Chenopodiaceae family respectively. This data is of relevance because they often constitute the only forage resource for the possible way to utilize these plants to remediate salt-affected soils.