Mycorrhiza within intercropping systems: Exploring AMF mediated complementary effects across staple crops from the drylands

Abstract

The main aim of this thesis was to advance the ecological know-how for the effective use of AMF within intercropping systems, aiming to optimize complementary interactions between crops. In the first chapter of the thesis, I tested AMF-based biofertilizers in field trials in southern India. There, I examined how biofertilizers influenced intercropping performance across different spatial arrangements and crop mixtures across different sites. In the second chapter, I conducted greenhouse experiments where I tested the efficiency of AMF mediating complementary effects under increasing nutrient availabilities as well as different crop mixtures. In the third chapter, I tested the relevance of planting distance mediating interspecific water transfer by one AMF strain from deep-rooted legumes to shallow rooted cereals during drought