Phosphorus threshold for arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of crops and tree seedlings
2012
Shukla, Ashok | Anil Kumar, | Jha, Anuradha | Vasaikar, Ajit | Rao, D. V. K Nageswara
The study was conducted to investigate the effect of phosphorus (P) concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 μg g−1) on growth and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization of two crops (a rainy season crop, Phaseolus mungo Roxb. var. PU-35 and a winter crop, Triticum aestivum L. var. WH-147) and seedlings of two multipurpose tree species (Eucalyptus tereticornis Sm. [Clone C-7, ITC, Bhadrachalam] and Albizia procera Benth.). Plant growth parameters (shoot length, dry weight) and P uptake increased significantly after inoculations with AM fungi (Acaulospora scrobiculata Trappe, Glomus cerebriforme McGee, and Glomus intraradices Schenck and Smith) in P. mungo, T. aestivum, E. tereticornis, and A. procera. Best results were obtained with G. cerebriforme in P. mungo and A. procera, and A. scrobiculata in T. aestivum, and G. intraradices in E. tereticornis. Results on effect of P application on mycorrhizal dependency (MD) of studied crop and tree species showed that decrease in MD with increase in P concentrations in non-nitrogen-fixing species (T. aestivum and E. tereticornis) was higher than in nitrogen-fixing species (P. mungo and A. procera). Threshold P concentrations for maximum benefits from the AM symbiosis in above-mentioned plant species varied from 5 to 20 μg g−1 and corresponding peaks of arbuscules, vesicles, sporocarp formation, colonization index, and spore count per 100 g sand were noticed. Thus, the results showed that the recorded plant growth peaks were due to AM colonization of crops and tree rhizosphere. Inoculations with AMF were more important than P application (explaining 14–78% variation in plant growth) for P. mungo, T. aestivum, and A. procera (forward selection method), whereas P application was more important for growth in E. tereticornis. Therefore, inoculating plants with a suitable AM inoculant could result in a benefit comparable to high P input and lead to a significant saving of inorganic P fertilizer.
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