Acta Agriculturae Boreali-Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4): 140-151. doi: 10.7668/hbnxb.20196636

Special Issue: Drought and water saving Plant protection Cultivation & Physiology

• Tillage & Cultivation·Physiology & Biochemistry • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Inoculation with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Enhances Drought Tolerance in Medicinal Tree Peony

CHEN Ke1, ZHANG Biao1, ZHANG Youfu1, WANG Zi2, GONG Minggui3, CHANG Qingshan2,4, SUN Yiming2, ZHANG Lixia1, HOU Xiaogai1   

  1. 1 College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China
    2 College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China
    3 College of Food and Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China
    4 Henan Key Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Eco-economic Woody Plant, Luoyang 471023, China
  • Received:2025-11-26 Published:2026-08-28

Abstract:

This study investigated the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF)inoculation on the physiological characteristics and the accumulation of active components in the medicinal tree peony Paeonia ostii Fengdan under drought stress,with the aim of providing a theoretical basis for utilizing AMF to enhance the drought resistance and medicinal quality of this species.Using P.ostii seedlings as experimental material,four treatments were established:well-watered control(CK),drought stress(DR),AMF inoculation under well-watered conditions(AMCK),and AMF inoculation under drought stress(AMDR).Indicators related to plant redox homeostasis(including superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity,proline and soluble sugar content),photosynthetic characteristics(including photosynthetic pigment content,gas exchange parameters,and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters),and the content of active components(such as total flavonoids,paeonol,and paeoniflorin)in the root bark were measured.The results showed that drought stress induced significant accumulation of malondialdehyde(MDA)and reactive oxygen species(ROS),with increases of 33.53% and 50.04%, respectively,while photosynthetic performance was markedly inhibited.This was specifically evidenced by significant decreases in net photosynthetic rate(Pn),stomatal conductance(Gs),transpiration rate(Tr),maximum photochemical efficiency(Fv/Fm),and photosynthetic performance index(PIabs).AMF inoculation effectively alleviated these adverse effects.It was found that inoculation not only significantly increased SOD activity by 6.36% and elevated the contents of osmoregulatory substances (soluble proteins, soluble sugars, and proline) by 23.72%, 53.31%, and 14.70%, respectively,but also reduced ROS levels,thereby enhancing cell membrane stability.A significant recovery was also observed in photosynthetic pigment content and photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters(Pn,Gs,Tr,Fv/Fm,and PIabs).Furthermore,under drought stress conditions,AMF inoculation further promoted the accumulation of secondary metabolites in the root bark,including total flavonoids,paeonol,and paeoniflorin,with increases of 18.67%, 11.39%, and 5.17%, respectively, compared with the DR treatment.In conclusion,it is demonstrated that AMF can effectively mitigate the physiological damage caused by drought stress in P.ostii by enhancing its antioxidant capacity,promoting the accumulation of osmoregulatory substances,and improving photosynthetic performance.Simultaneously,AMF boosts the content of secondary metabolites in the root bark.

Key words: Medicinal peony, Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Drought stress, Photosynthetic characteristics, Active components, Antioxidant capacity

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Cite this article

CHEN Ke, ZHANG Biao, ZHANG Youfu, WANG Zi, GONG Minggui, CHANG Qingshan, SUN Yiming, ZHANG Lixia, HOU Xiaogai. Inoculation with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Enhances Drought Tolerance in Medicinal Tree Peony[J]. Acta Agriculturae Boreali-Sinica, 2026, 41(4): 140-151. doi: 10.7668/hbnxb.20196636.

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