This study investigated the synergistic effects of various arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculations and organic amendments on the development and photosynthetic efficiency of sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) seedlings. The experimental design included different doses of compost and biochar derived from two distinct feedstocks: Eucalyptus and Phragmites australis. The results showed that biochar derived from P. australis significantly outperformed eucalyptus biochar in enhancing Photosystem II (PSII) efficiency across different soil types (Kızıltapır and Balcalı). While all mycorrhizal treatments improved growth compared to non-inoculated controls, seedlings inoculated with Rhizophagus clarus showed greater improvements in terms of plant height, stem diameter, leaf number and PSII efficiency than those with indigenous mycorrhizae. A significant interaction was observed between the type of amendment and the mycorrhizal species: plants associated with indigenous AMF showed optimal benefits at amendment rates up to 20 t ha-1, whereas those inoculated with Rh. clarus reached peak performance at a lower threshold of 10 t ha-1. Overall, integrating P. australis biochar and Rh. clarus inoculation is a highly effective strategy for optimizing the nursery production of citrus seedlings.
Ortaş et al. (Thu,) studied this question.