EFFECT OF MYCORRHIZA INOCULATION OF PEPPER SEEDLINGS (Capsicum annuum L.) ON THE GROWTH AND PROTECTION AGAINST Fusarium oxysporum INFECTION

Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate the ability of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in enhancing the growth and control of a root rot caused by different isolates of Fusarium oxysporum in sweet pepper seedlings. The plants were grown in plastic pots filled with sterilized horticultural soils. There were four treatments applied as follows: Fo (seedlings infected with fungus), M (seedlings inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi), Fo + M (seedlings inoculated with mycorrhiza and infected with fungus) and control. A randomized experiment was used and the growth, disease index, and photosynthetic activity of the plants were measured after 4 weeks. The investigations showed that the mycorrhizal inoculation had a protective effect on the F. oxysporum-infected pepper seedlings. The plants were characterized by a higher growth rate and a lower disease index than those growing only in the presence of the pathogenic fungus. The roots inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi were better developed than those infected only with F. oxysporum. The mycorrhiza contributed to an increase in the photosynthetic activity of the pepper seedlings.