Assessment of the impact of applied fertilizers on improving agronomic performance, soil properties, and rhizosphere mycorrhizal community in Xanthosoma sagittifolium L. Schott PIF plants in the field

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of applied fertilizers on the growth of Xanthosoma sagittifolium PIF plants while highlighting their potential influences on changes in soil quality and the nature of mycorrhizal life in the rhizosphere of plants in the field. The experimental design was a randomized complete block. Seeds of PIF plants and X. sagittifolium shoots were used. Four treatments were applied: Control (T), Oyster Shells (OS), Phosphorus Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB), and the mixture of shell + phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (OS+PSB). Agronomic growth parameters, analysis of some metabolites in the leaves, and determination of soil physicochemical parameters were evaluated. The mycorrhizal status of X. sagittifolium plants and a morphological characterization of the mycorrhizal types were carried out. The results obtained using the Student Newman and Keuls test showed a significant variation in field growth parameters depending on the treatments applied, with an average plant height value of 48.60±8.47 cm in plants from suckers fertilized with BSP. In the leaves of X. sagittifolium in sucker plants, high values of chlorophyll (1.03±0.58 mg g-1) (OS), total soluble sugars (41.92±19.68 mg g-1) OS+PSB), and total soluble proteins (18.78±3.98 mg g-1) (OS), respectively, were noted depending on the treatments applied. In PIF plants, a phenolic compound content of 8.82±0.00 mg g-1 (OS) was noted. Physicochemical analysis of the soils showed an improvement in soil texture and an increase in available phosphorus in the presence of BSP. Mycorrhization indices were higher in the presence of the BSP treatment. Four AMF genera were identified depending on the treatments: Acaulospora spp., Gigaspora spp., Glomus spp., and Scutellospora spp. The genus Glomus spp. was the most prevalent in all plots. The fertilization applied influenced the abundance of AMF present.