Inoculation with Talaromyces trachyspermus and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus alongside sulfonylurea herbicides alters Orobanche aegyptiaca and tomato growth

The life cycle and unique biology of broomrape (Orobanche aegyptiaca) have made the management of this root- parasitic plant one of the greatest challenges in agriculture. The objective of this investigation was to ascertain whether the efficacy of chemical weed control could be enhanced through the inoculation of tomato plants with mycorrhizal and Talaromyces trachyspermus fungus. The combined effect of utilizing these fungi with the sulfonylurea herbicides (rimsulfuron and sulfosulfuron) with two application methods (herbigation and foliar spraying) was investigated in greenhouse and field trials. The results showed the application of rimsulfuron and sulfosulfuron, respectively, resulted in a 99.5% and 99.9% reduction in production capacity in the presence of the mycorrhizal fungus, as evidenced in the greenhouse experiment. The application of rimsulfuron using the herbigation method resulted in a 50% reduction in seed production in the presence of mycorrhiza in the field experiment. The application of the mycorrhizal fungus resulted in a reduction of the number of broomrape shoots by 17.2% with rimsulfuron and 62.1% with sulfosulfuron in the foliar spraying method in the greenhouse experiment. In the presence of mycorrhizal fungus, sulfosulfuron in the herbigation method demonstrated a 37.8% reduction in the number of broomrape shoots compared to the absence of herbicide in the field experiment. The highest marketable yield of tomato was observed in the mycorrhizal plants, where rimsulfuron was applied in the field experiment. The findings highlight the potential of integrated biological-chemical strategies as a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative for the management of this parasite weed. Moreover, they demonstrate the feasibility and potential of such strategies to facilitate the resolution of this pivotal challenge in agricultural practice.