Data for Impact of plant breeding on the responsiveness of maize and wheat varieties to an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal symbiont

We tested 15 maize (Zea mays) and 15 wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties recommended for farmers, as well as three older wheat cultivars under greenhouse conditions. The plants were inoculated with an AMF (Rhizoglomus irregulare), and effects on mycorrhizal root colonization and mycorrhizal growth response (MGR) were assessed. To explore whether genetic background influences AMF responsiveness, we assessed whether response patterns varied across breeding companies and differed when comparing modern and old plant varieties.