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Response of Siratro to Vesicular‐Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi: I. Selection of Effective Vesicular‐Arbuscular Fungi In Amended Soil
Author(s) -
Medina O. A.,
Sylvia D. M.,
Kretschmer A. E.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1988.03615995005200020020x
Subject(s) - biology , glomus , shoot , inoculation , population , sowing , phycomycetes , dry weight , lime , propagule , agronomy , horticulture , botany , paleontology , demography , sociology
The effect of five species of vesicular‐arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi on the growth of Macroptilium atropurpureum Urb. cv. Siratro in limed, nonpasteurized soil was studied under greenhouse conditions. Fungi tested were Glomus etunicatum Becker & Gerdemann, Glomus deserticola Trappe, Bloss & Menge, Glomus versiform Berch & Fortin, Glomus intraradices Schenck & Smith, and Gigaspora margarita Becker & Hall. Forty and 70 d after planting, plants inoculated with G. etunicatum and G. intraradices had shoot dry and root fresh weights that were significantly higher than the other VAM fungal treatments and noninoculated plants. In addition, plants inoculated with G. etunicatum had significantly higher shoot dry weights than plants inoculated with G. intraradices . Yields of plants inoculated with G. deserticola, G. versiforme , and G. margarita were not different from noninoculated plants, except at 70 d when plants inoculated with G. deserticola had significantly higher shoot dry and root fresh weights than the control. The indigenous population of VAM fungi was high (MPN = 2 propagules g −1 soil); however, it proved to be largely ineffective in the lime‐amended soil. A significant positive correlation was found between mycorrhizal root colonization, expressed as either percentage or total root length colonized, and shoot dry weight. Glomus etunicatum colonized roots more rapidly than the other VAM fungi tested. With careful selection of effective VAM fungi, the growth of Siratro can be significantly enhanced in a lime amended, nonpasteurized soil that contains an ineffective population of indigenous VAM fungi under amended soil conditions.