Mycorrhizal alleviation of acid soil stress in the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)

It is not known why sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) cultivated in tropical regions tolerates acid soil. Here, we report the involvement of mycorrhizal symbiosis in this tolerance. Plants were grown in root-boxes filled with either acidic soil (pH 4.2) or the same soil amended with lime (pH 5.2) for 30 d in a growth chamber. In the inoculated treatments, the percentage of root length colonized by Gigaspora margarita was not affected by soil pH (23±9% at pH 4.2 vs. 30±12% at pH 5.2). The root and shoot dry weights of the non-mycorrhizal plants at pH 4.2 were 27 and 35%, respectively, of those at pH 5.2. The root and shoot dry weights of the mycorrhizal plants at pH 4.2 were 70 and 51% of those at pH 5.2. Growth promotion in mycorrhizal plants was significant only at pH 4.2 (2-fold increase in whole plant dry weight), but not at pH 5.2. As a result, no significant difference was detected in whole plant dry weight between the mycorrhizal plants at pH 4.2 and non-mycorrhizal plants at pH 5.2. The mycorrhizal plants at pH 4.2 showed reduced toxic symptoms of Mn (brown specks on mature leaves) and Al (poor root growth) compared to non-mycorrhizal ones, but tissue concentrations of P, K and Ca did not increase in mycorrhizal plants. We assume that the mycorrhizal colonization can reduce toxic effects of those elements while the exact mechanisms should be further investigated.