The Effects of Salinity on Mycorrhizal Association and Corn

School Name

Ridge View High School

Grade Level

10th Grade

Presentation Topic

Environmental Science

Presentation Type

Mentored

Abstract

Salinity is a significant problem regarding plant growth. Salinity hinders plant reproduction and growth by impeding nitrogen uptake and by interfering with a seed's capability of germinating. High salinity in a seed's environment can lead to a low osmotic potential, which may eventually result in little to no water uptake. Mycorrhiza fungi are specific fungi that establish a mutualistic association between plant roots and fungi. This relationship often permits plants to uptake nutrients and water more readily. Mycorrhizal fungi helps plants tolerate stressful conditions like salinity, heat, and extreme temperatures. This experiment was conducted under four different treatments: 0.5M salt concentration with wildroot organic mighty mycorrhizae, 0.2M salt concentration with mycorrhizae, no salt concentration but mycorrhizae added, and a control group (no salt concentration and no mycorrhizae), with all treatments containing an equal amount of soil (miracle grow potting mix soil) and corn seeds. These four separate treatments were placed in a growth chamber set to 12 hours of light at 26℃ (to represent daytime) and 12 hours of darkness at 23℃ (to represent nighttime). The measurements were taken over the course of three weeks. A significant finding was that the presence of salinity significantly inhibited the growth of corn plants. In addition, the presence of mycorrhizae allowed for relatively faster and healthier growth of the plants. These revealed that salinity has a negative effect on plant growth. However, if mycorrhizae are present, this negative effect is mitigated as the plant ] develops a remarkable tolerance against salinity. Furthermore, the results indicate that the plant grown with mycorrhizae will more readily uptake more nutrients and water, overall producing a healthier plant.

Location

ECL 340

Start Date

3-25-2023 11:15 AM

Presentation Format

Oral Only

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 25th, 11:15 AM

The Effects of Salinity on Mycorrhizal Association and Corn

ECL 340

Salinity is a significant problem regarding plant growth. Salinity hinders plant reproduction and growth by impeding nitrogen uptake and by interfering with a seed's capability of germinating. High salinity in a seed's environment can lead to a low osmotic potential, which may eventually result in little to no water uptake. Mycorrhiza fungi are specific fungi that establish a mutualistic association between plant roots and fungi. This relationship often permits plants to uptake nutrients and water more readily. Mycorrhizal fungi helps plants tolerate stressful conditions like salinity, heat, and extreme temperatures. This experiment was conducted under four different treatments: 0.5M salt concentration with wildroot organic mighty mycorrhizae, 0.2M salt concentration with mycorrhizae, no salt concentration but mycorrhizae added, and a control group (no salt concentration and no mycorrhizae), with all treatments containing an equal amount of soil (miracle grow potting mix soil) and corn seeds. These four separate treatments were placed in a growth chamber set to 12 hours of light at 26℃ (to represent daytime) and 12 hours of darkness at 23℃ (to represent nighttime). The measurements were taken over the course of three weeks. A significant finding was that the presence of salinity significantly inhibited the growth of corn plants. In addition, the presence of mycorrhizae allowed for relatively faster and healthier growth of the plants. These revealed that salinity has a negative effect on plant growth. However, if mycorrhizae are present, this negative effect is mitigated as the plant ] develops a remarkable tolerance against salinity. Furthermore, the results indicate that the plant grown with mycorrhizae will more readily uptake more nutrients and water, overall producing a healthier plant.