Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi regulate the peanut rhizosphere microbiome to alleviate salinity stress and enhance yield

Yingchun Du¹Di Wang²Yuqi Song¹Qingsong Zheng²Lin Wang^1*

• ¹Jiangsu Open University, Nanjing, China
• ²Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China

Salt stress threatens peanut yield by impairing physiological performance and disrupting rhizosphere microbial community stability. To investigate how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) mediate plant-microbe interactions under salt stress, researchers conducted a controlled pot experiment with four treatments: non-salt control (CK), AMF inoculation (A), salt stress (S; 100 mM sodium chloride), and combined AMF inoculation under salt stress (SA), with five biological replicates in each group. Plant growth traits, yield, and rhizosphere bacterial community were assessed at different peanut growth stages. AMF inoculation significantly increased peanut biomass, chlorophyll content, and yield, both under salt and non-salt stress conditions. Salt stress significantly reduced bacterial richness and community evenness, while AMF partially restored α-diversity and reshaped bacterial community composition. Functional predictions indicated that AMF enriched nitrogen cycling pathways such as nitrate reduction and nitrogen fixation. Furthermore, AMF promoted a more complex and stable bacterial community under salt stress, characterized by enhanced synergistic effects among key taxa, including Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. Overall, AMF inoculation enhanced plant performance and rhizosphere bacterial resistance, highlighting its potential as an effective ecological strategy for improving peanut yield in saline-alkali agricultural ecosystems.