Improvement of wheat productivity and soil quality by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is density- and moisture-dependent

Adaptive management of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) provides a new option for sustainable agriculture. Previous studies showed that the functional role of AMF was frequently dependent on soil moisture and planting densities in the semiarid environment. However, a systematic quantitative analysis of the effects of AMF inoculation on crop productivity and soil quality needs to be investigated. Therefore, a 2-year field experiment was conducted to test the inoculation effects of AMF ( Funneliformis mosseae ) on wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) productivity and soil quality in the semiarid Loess Plateau under two water regimes (irrigated and non-irrigated) with seven plant densities in year 2017 and 2018. Our results showed that in the non-irrigated treatment, inoculation with AMF greatly increased dryland wheat aboveground biomass, crop productivity, water use efficiency, rhizosphere soil organic carbon, soil organic carbon to total nitrogen ratio, microbial biomass carbon to nitrogen ratio, and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen ( P