Diversity and distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in pome and stone Fruit orchards of North Western Himalayan State of Jammu & Kashmir

Abstract

A study was conducted to assess the diversity and distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in pome (apple and pear) and stone (cherry) fruit orchards in North Western Himalayan Kashmir. A total of 222 AMF isolates were isolated from the rhizosphere of apple, pear and cherry plants from the four districts of Kashmir valley viz., Srinagar, Ganderbal, Baramulla and Shopian. The maximum number of AMF isolates were found in district Baramulla (60) followed by Ganderbal (57), Srinagar (53) and Shopian (52) with Simpson’s species diversity index of 0.58. Twenty-nine AMF species, belonging to 7 genera were identified, besides 16 species belonging to three genera were identified up to genus level. Out of these, six species viz., Glomus xanthium, Scutellospora tricalypta, S. armeniaca, Dentiscutata erythropa, Septoglomus deserticola and S. constrictum have not been reported from India so far so these are the first records from India. Glomus species was the most common and predominant AM fungus with frequency occurrence of 60.75%, followed by Acaulospora spp. (22.82%), Scutellospora spp. (8.05%) and Septoglomus spp. (4.69%). However, Dentiscutata spp., Fumneliformis spp. and Gigaspora spp. were rarely encountered.