Effects of Rhizophagus clarus and P availability in the tolerance and physiological response of Mucuna cinereum to copper

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) improve plant ability to uptake P and tolerate heavy metals. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of available P and the inoculation of Rhizophagus clarus in a Cu-contaminated soil (i) on the activity of acid phosphatases (soil and plant), the presence of glomalin, and (ii) in the biochemical and physiological status of Mucuna cinereum. A Typic Hapludalf soil artificially contaminated by adding 60 mg kg−1 Cu was used in a 3 × 2 factorial design with three replicates. Treatments consisted of three P levels: 0, 40, and 100 mg kg−1 P. Each P treatment level was inoculated (+AMF)/non-inoculated (−AMF) with 200 spores of R. clarus per pot, and plants grown for 45 days. The addition of at least 40 mg kg−1 P and the inoculation of plants with R. clarus proved to be efficient to reduce Cu phytotoxicity and increase dry matter yield. Mycorrhization and phosphate fertilization reduced the activity of enzymes regulating oxidative stress (SOD and POD), and altered the chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, due to the lower stress caused by available Cu. These results suggest a synergism between the application of P and the inoculation with R. clarus, favoring the growth of M. cinereum in a Cu-contaminated soil. This study shows that AMF inoculation represents an interesting alternative to P fertilization to improve plant development when exposed to excess Cu.