Temporal dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in maize roots: influence of cover crops and microbial inoculation

Abstract Background Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbioses with crops, enhancing nutrient uptake and stress tolerance. However, their responses to agronomic practices such as cover cropping and microbial grain inoculation remain poorly understood under field conditions. For maize, one of the world’s most important crops, it is still unclear how these management strategies influence AMF colonization, diversity, and community composition across growth stages and seasons, and whether the