PERFORMANCE OF TRITICUM AESTIVUM L. (WHEAT) UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF FUNGAL INOCULATION TO SUSTAIN ARSENIC STRESS

Abstract

Wheat is one of the most important staple foods worldwide, dominating other crops in terms of acreage and production. However, wheat is highly vulnerable to the toxic effects of heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury, and arsenic. Arsenic (As), a trace toxic metalloid, poses significant environmental challenges, severely impacting water, soil, animals, and humans. In plants, arsenic causes both physiological and morphological damage by inducing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which in turn harm nucleic acids, proteins, and membrane lipids. In this study, two wheat varieties—Dilkash and Fakhr-e-Bakkhar—were inoculated with the endophytic fungus Fusarium oxysporum to mitigate Arsenic stress. This fungus forms a mutualistic association with plant roots, expanding the rhizosphere surface area without harming plant tissues or cells. Arsenic concentrations in wheat tissues followed the order: roots > shoots > leaves > grains. Grain arsenic uptake showed a positive correlation with both available arsenic in soil (r = 0.678, p < .0001) and total soil arsenic content (r = 0.23, p < .0001). Application of Fusarium oxysporum at 5 g kg⁻¹ soil significantly (p < .004) reduced arsenic levels in grains across all treatments. Moreover, grain arsenic content was negatively correlated with total soil glomalin (r = –0.320, p < .004), fungal colonization (r = –0.115), and soil phosphorus content (r = –0.762, p < .0001). Overall, the findings demonstrate that inoculation with endophytic fungi can effectively lower arsenic accumulation in different parts of wheat plants grown in arsenic-contaminated soils.