Abstract:

Effects of Glomus mosseae and water stress on morphology and fractal characteristic of root system in Broussonetia papyrifera were studied in this paper based on scanner-based image analysis. The results showed that drought and VAM inoculation had a large, significant effect on plant development. Biomass, total length, surface area, volume, number of root nodes, average diameter and fractal dimension of root system in B. papyrifera decreased with the reduction of soil moisture, while they were increased by VAM inoculation. Special root length in non-AM plants increased when soil moisture was reducing, but it was decreased by VAM inoculation. It was concluded that G. mosseae inoculation improved the drought resistance of B. papyrifera, especially in moderate stressed conditions. The contribution of AM symbiosis to plant to avoid the stress or to increase its tolerance might be the result of modification of root morphology and fractal character.

Key words: water stress, Glomus mosseae, Broussonetia papyrifera, root morphology, fractal dimension