Effect of Mycorrhizal Colonization on Nitrogen and Phosphorous Metabolism in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under Water Deficit Stress

Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a group of soil fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plants. The successful association between plants and AMF constitutes a strategy to improve the nutritional status of both associates, which reduces the use of fertilizers specially phosphorus nutrition (Almagrabi and Abdelmoneim, 2012). The AMF take carbohydrates compounds from their plant host, while the plants benefit from the association by the increased nutrients uptake, which improve tolerance to abiotic stress (drought or salinity), as well as enhanced plant disease control (Auge, 2001; Song et al., 2011). The water stress is considered to be main factor the causing limitations to plant growth. The effects of drought on plant growth depend on several factors such as plant genetic resistance, stage of growth and duration of plant expose to drought. Drought is one of the major constraints on plant productivity worldwide and is expected to increase with climatic changes. Drought resistance in plants is strongly affected by their nutritional status. Soil-water deficit is tightly linked to low nutrient availability and to poor soil structure, so various hypotheses International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 10 (2017) pp. 916-929 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com