Enhancing Maize Grain Yield Quality: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi as a Sustainable Solution Under Antimony Stress

Antimony (Sb) contamination threatens food security by lowering crop yields, reducing nutritional quality, and harming agroecosystems, underscoring the need for sustainable and eco-friendly strategies to alleviate heavy metal stress. Here arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) role to mitigate Sb-induced stress in maize, was examined. AMF-inoculated and non-inoculated plants were grown under control and Sb stress conditions for 10 weeks, and growth, nutrient uptake, metabolic profiles, antioxidant capacity, and antimicrobial activity were assessed. Sb exposure markedly suppressed maize performance, reducing fresh and dry biomass by 66% and 65%, respectively, while also impairing the growth-promoting effects commonly associated with AMF. However, AMF inoculation significantly alleviated Sb toxicity, enhancing fresh biomass by 43% and dry biomass by 40%. The recovery was linked to improved nutrient uptake and the accumulation of primary metabolites, which promoted physiological adjustments. Moreover, AMF-inoculated plants under Sb stress showed enriched bioactive metabolites, leading to stronger antimicrobial activity and a 65% increase in antioxidant capacity. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that AMF enhance maize resilience to Sb stress by promoting growth, nutritional quality, and bioactive properties. This study demonstrates that AMF offer a sustainable strategy to enhance crop resilience and biofortification in contaminated environments.