Effect of mycorrhizal colonisation, nitrogen and sulfur nutrition, and water supply on composition and health value of Chinese Allium vegetable plants

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Allium species are an important part of the daily diet for many people in the world, in particular also in most parts of China. Allium plants contain phytochemicals with potential beneficial effects for human health. Mineral nutrition and water supply can have effects not only on growth and yield, but also on the composition of plants. Thus, concentration and content of many plant compounds related to human health can also be influenced by fertilisation or irrigation. Mycorrhizal colonisation can increase phosphorus uptake of plants, but in addition to that affects also the uptake of other elements such as nitrogen, and induces physiological changes in the plant. In the present project, the effect of supply of different nitrogen forms (ammonium, nitrate, organic nitrogen), of sulphate at different levels, of water supply, and of mycorrhizal colonisation is investigated in factorial experiments under controlled conditions, using garlic and other Allium plants. We specifically test the hypothesis that mycorrhizal Allium plants produce more health-related phytochemicals than their non-mycorrhizal counterparts, due to increased rates of ammonium and sulphate uptake. The aim of this project is to contribute to the development of horticultural systems under Chinese conditions with increased production of health related compounds.