Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a key role in land reclamation, sustaining soil fertility and cycling of nutrients, which in turn increases plant vigour and productivity. AMF differ in both structural characteristics and global distribution, which is strongly correlated with the respective functional role. This study investigated the molecular diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in selected representative farmlands across Lake Victoria Basin and wheat farms in Njoro District of Kenya. Native AMF genera were identified by morphological techniques and their molecular diversity assessed by random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) techniques and genetic distance analysis. In all five field sites, three AMF genera were identified with varying relative abundances, namely, Glomus (50%), Scutellospora (30%) and Gigaspora (16%). Lambwe fields had the highest spore densities (13 spores per gram dry weight) and evenness (0.84) while Kibos and Njoro had least spore count (4 - ditto) and evenness (0.32), respectively. The AMF population from Njoro wheat farms had highest heterozygosity (He = 0.257) and hence was the most genetically diverse compared to other populations. Key words: Glomus spp., Gigaspora spp., Scutellospora spp., molecular diversity.
Highlights
Productivity of agricultural land among small-holder peasant communities is diminishing due to depleted soil fertility and destabilized nutrient acquisition by plants
Over 80% of plant species are associated with mycorrhizal fungi, 67% of which is Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)
AMF differ in both structural characteristics and global distribution, which is strongly correlated with the respective functional role
Summary
Productivity of agricultural land among small-holder peasant communities is diminishing due to depleted soil fertility and destabilized nutrient acquisition by plants. Major factors that constrain tropical soil fertility and sustainable agriculture are low nutrient capital, moisture stress, erosion, increased phosphorus fixation, high acidity with aluminium toxicity, and low soil biodiversity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a key role in land reclamation, sustaining soil fertility and cycling of nutrients, which in turn increases plant vigour and productivity. Over 80% of plant species are associated with mycorrhizal fungi, 67% of which is AMF. Soils typically contain several species of AMF, a combination of which is needed to function as an adequate plant-soil interface (Wardle and Van der Putten, 2002). Mycorrhizal fungi play a significant role in the regulation of soil biological activity because of their abundance throughout the uppermost soil layer. The mycorrhizal fungal hyphae are involved with the scavenging and retention of nutrient ions, and with the creation of an aggregate system that
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