Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis on the growth and reproduction of cherry tomato can be persistent to the next generation

In addition to the positive effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis on the nutrient uptake by host plants, it also affects plant's reproductive function and offspring performance. In this study, we investigated the effects of mycorrhizal symbiosis on the growth and nutrient uptake of cherry tomato across two successive generations in homogenous environment under greenhouse conditions. The results showed that mycorrhizal symbiosis increased the biomass and nutrient accumulation of parental cherry tomato. The mycorrhizal symbiosis pro-moted earlier flowering of cherry tomatoes, increased the number and weight of seeds and improved the seed germination percentage. Mycorrhizal symbiosis may enhance the female function and female fitness of cherry tomato by increasing seed quality. The offspring of parental cherry tomatoes ever infected by mycorrhizal symbiosis also showed beneficial traits including earlier flowering and heavier seeds. But these differences varied with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species. Our study suggested that mycorrhizal symbiosis can regulate the growth and reproduction processes of cherry tomatoes and may have persistent effects on them.