Abstract
Carrot is a vital supply of dietary fiber, vitamins, and carotenoids, and it is also rich in antioxidants and minerals. Soil salinity significantly reduces the yield and quality of carrots. Mycorrhiza inoculum (AMF) is known to improve morphological and biochemical traits of vegetables even under saline conditions. But the role of AMF in combating soil salinity effect in carrot is not studied in detail. Therefore here, in the first set, carrot seeds are inoculated with microbes in a pot experiment under polyhouse condition. In total, we applied 7 treatments with different combinations of Mycorrhiza inoculum (Glomus mosseae (G(m)) and Gigaspora gigantea (G(g))) and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (Pseudomonas fluroscens (P-f)). In pot experiment study the best two treatments were the combination of G(m) + P-f + G(G) and P-f + G(G). Both of these treatments were selected for validation under the open field conditions. Primarily, there seems to be a promising opportunity for AMF application to carrots under pot culture as well as under field trials because of promising effect towards morphological parameters, especially root weight, and disparities in nutrients and metabolites. Overall, our study highlights mycorrhizal fungi and other microbes' efficacy in achieving a successful carrot production under salinity stress. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.