The Department of life sciences at the Faculty of Science – University of Mosul, on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, discussed the master’s thesis tagged ” the role of mycorrhiza in activating plant immunity induced against fungal diseases ” by researcher Sumaya Khazal Ismail in the specialty of Botany, in the presence of a number of department teachers and graduate students. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of symbiotic root fungi (mycorrhiza) in promoting plant growth and stimulating induced defensive resistance, reducing the severity of fungal diseases, as well as analyzing the physiological changes resulting from the interaction between the plant and the fungus. The study recorded 3 new fungal strains in the NCBI global database, in an achievement that reflects the importance of the results in the field of symbiotic fungi and plant diseases. The results showed that the mushroom _Glomus mosseae_ has a high efficiency in improving the growth of tomato plants, as it led to a significant increase in the vegetative and syphilitic growth qualities compared to the control and infection treatment. On the other hand, infection with the pathogenic fungus _Fusarium brachygibbosum_ caused a clear deterioration in morphological and physiological qualities, represented by a decrease in plant height, dry weight and the disappearance of flowers. The study also showed that pollinating plants with mycorrhiza improves the absorption of nutrients by increasing the surface area of the roots with fungal filaments, which positively reflected on growth and productivity. The results confirmed that _Glomus mosseae_ stimulates the mechanisms of ISR-induced systemic resistance by increasing the accumulation of phenolic compounds and activating the enzymes peroxidase peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase Polyphenol Oxidase associated with plant defense. The discussion Committee was chaired by Prof. Dr. Maha Akram Muhammad Ali, and the membership of both: assistant professor Dr. Jahan Mowafaq said, assistant professor Abeer Ahmed Mahmoud, and under the supervision of assistant professor Dr. Anfal Moyed Jalaluddin. Our wishes to the researcher and to all students of studies and faculty teaching full-time success and excellence.

Government information and Communication Division

Tuesday, August 18, 2026