Arbuscular mycorrhizal influence on growth,photosynthetic pigments,osmotic adjustment and oxidative stress in tomato plants subjected to low temperature stress

The influence of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus, Glomus mosseae, on characteristics of growth, photosynthetic pigments, osmotic adjustment, membrane lipid peroxidation and activity of antioxidant enzymes in leaves of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv Zhongzha105) plants was studied in pot culture under low temperature stress. The tomato plants were placed in a sand and soil mixture at 25°C for 6 weeks, and then subjected to 8°C for 1 week. AM symbiosis decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content in leaves. The contents of photosynthetic pigments, sugars and soluble protein in leaves were higher, but leaf proline content was lower in mycorrhizal than non-mycorrhizal plants. AM colonization increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in leaves. The results indicate that the AM fungus is capable of alleviating the damage caused by low temperature stress on tomato plants by reducing membrane lipid peroxidation and increasing the photosynthetic pigments, accumulation of osmotic adjustment compounds, and antioxidant enzyme activity. Consequently, arbuscular mycorrhiza formation highly enhanced the cold tolerance of tomato plant, which increased host biomass and promoted plant growth.