Inoculation with Glomus mosseae improves the growth and salvianolic acid B accumulation of continuously cropped Salvia miltiorrhiza

Abstract

Salvia miltiorrhiza (S. miltiorrhiza) Bunge is one of the most economically important medicinalcrops in China. In traditional Chinese medicine, its root is used as an important ingredient in formulasfor treatment of atherosclerosis-related disorders. The continuous cropping of S. miltiorrhiza increasesthe proportion of dried seedlings and decreases the biomass of the shoots and roots and the contentsof active components. In this study, three field experiments were conducted to investigate theeffects of Glomus mosseae (G. mosseae) inoculation on the growth and contents of active ingredientsand nutrients in continuously cropped S. miltiorrhiza. The results showed that inoculation withG. mosseae increased the shoot biomass of S. miltiorrhiza by 48.1% and the root biomass by 39.2%,and decreased the dried seedling rate by nearly 75%. Inoculation with G. mosseae also increased thesalvianolic acid B concentration by 21.9% in the shoots and 9.2% in the roots of S. miltiorrhiza, and alsosignificantly increased Mn concentration in the roots and shoots (by 65.1% and 93.4%, respectively)and Fe concentration in the roots (by 75%). The accumulation of salvianolic acid B, Mn, and Fein G. mosseae inoculated S. miltiorrhiza may be a mechanism that imparts tolerance to continuouscropping. Inoculation of S. miltiorrhiza with G. mosseae can serve as an effective approach of biocontrolto improve the performance of continuously cropped S. miltiorrhiza.