Background and aims

Biochar is a carbon source employed to improve soil properties, promoting plant health and nutrition in agroecosystems. Root associated microorganisms such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are also used as bioinoculants in combination with biochar to provide eco-friendly alternatives for crop production under unfavorable growth conditions. However, information on the effects of biochar on multitrophic interactions of plants with herbivorous insects is limited. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizae on plants and herbivorous insects.

Methods

We established a multifactorial experiment with maize plants, AMF (two strains, Rizhophagus irregularis and a native consortium) and the Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda with and without soil application of biochar. Variables of biomass, plant nutrition, mycorrhizal colonization and performance of herbivorous insects were measured.

Results

We found that biochar reduced insect herbivory and promoted mycorrhizal association in maize. However, plant growth was reduced. Additionally, AMF increased the weight of fall armyworm larvae.

Conclusion

Our results show that biochar influences maize plant development, AMF, and fall armyworm performance, but did not affect interactions between these below- and above ground components.

中文翻译：

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生物炭改变玉米生长、菌根关联和草地贪夜蛾的表现

 背景和目标

生物炭是一种碳源，用于改善土壤特性，促进农业生态系统中的植物健康和营养。丛枝菌根真菌 (AMF) 等根部相关微生物也可与生物炭结合用作生物接种剂，为不利生长条件下的作物生产提供生态友好的替代品。然而，关于生物炭对植物与草食昆虫多营养相互作用的影响的信息有限。因此，本工作的目的是评估生物炭和丛枝菌根对植物和食草昆虫的影响。

 方法

我们对玉米植物、AMF（两种菌株，不规则根霉和本地菌群）和草地贪夜蛾（草地贪夜蛾）进行了多因素实验，土壤施用和不施用生物炭。测量了草食昆虫的生物量、植物营养、菌根定植和性能等变量。

 结果

我们发现生物炭减少了昆虫的食草性并促进了玉米中的菌根联合。然而，植物生长减少。此外，AMF 增加了秋粘虫幼虫的重量。

 结论

我们的结果表明，生物炭影响玉米植株发育、AMF 和草地贪夜蛾的性能，但不影响这些地下和地上成分之间的相互作用。