Integrating Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi to Improve Wheat Yield and Soil Biochemical Properties in Northern Subtropical India

The present field-based experiment evaluated the influences of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) application on soil biological properties and yield attributes in the wheat crop. AM was found to have no additional yield benefit when applied with the recommended dose of fertilizer. A satisfactory yield response from AM with the 75% RDF treatment indicates that AM functions well under nutrient-limiting conditions, and it can be utilized as a biofertilizer; consequently, certain doses of chemical fertilizer can be curtailed. Also, there is improvement in other soil biological properties in terms of microbial biomass carbon and enzymatic activity, especially organic nitrogen mineralizing enzymes (N-Acetyl Glucosaminidase), which indicate that AM has significant regulations with the nitrogen mineralization process and thus can regulate N-mineralization from organic pools present in the soil, which further improved soil microbial biomass carbon.