effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (amf) on antioxidant enzyme activities in salt-stressed wheat

this study investigated the influence of inoculation with an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (amf), glomus mosseae (nicol & gerd.) on growth and antioxidant enzyme activities (sod, cat, gupx) in shoots and roots of wheat (triticum aestivum l.) affected by three different levels of salt stress. the experiment was arranged as a factorial in randomized complete block design (rcbd) with three replications. experimental treatments including: three levels of salinity stress (0 (control), 60 and 120 µm) and two levels of inoculation (inoculation and non inoculation). salinity decreased wheat growth, regardless of the mycorrhizal treatment and the salt stress level. the plants inoculated with amf had significantly greater shoot biomass than the control plants at all salinity levels. however, the results pointed out that salinity had inhibitory effects on mycorrhizal infection. the highest mycorrhizal infection was observed in the control plants. increasing salinity stress raised significantly the antioxidant enzyme activities, including those of total sod, gupx and cat, of wheat compared to their respective non-stressed controls. the amf induced a higher increase in these antioxidant enzymes in response to severe salinity. inoculation with amf could serve as a useful tool for alleviating salinity stress in salt-sensitive plants. however, analysis of variance indicated that there was not significant interaction between salt and mycorrhizal inoculation on sod and cat of roots. also, there was not significant interaction between salt and mycorrhizal inoculation on gupx in both shoots and roots.