Interactive Influence of Soil and Plant Genotypes on Mycorrhizal Dependency in Finger Millet

Abstract

The present study aims to assess the impact of soil types (Alfisol and Vertisol) on mycorrhizal dependency and nutrient acquisition in ten genotypes of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.Gaertn.) (GPU 28, GPU 45, GPU 48, GPU 66, GPU 67, KMR 301, KMR 304, ML 365, MR 6, and SURATAI). Finger millet was raised both in the presence and absence of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in a complete randomized block design under greenhouse conditions. Soil characteristics, biomass, shoot and root nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) content of plants were measured after 45 days of growth. The shoot and root biomass were significantly greater for finger millet plants raised in the presence of AM fungi than those grown in its absence in both the soil types. The shoot and root N contents were higher in SURATAI and GPU 66 genotypes in both soil types in the presence of AM fungi. However, the maximum shoot and root P concentrations in the presence of AM fungi were recorded in ML 365 and KMR 304 genotypes in Alfisol soil, whereas GPU 28 and GPU 48 had higher shoot and root P contents in Vertisol soil, in the presence of AM fungi. The finger millet genotype SURATAI was highly dependent on AM fungi (69.44% and 45.36%) in both the soil types. The results of the study indicated that interactions between soil type and the genotypes significantly influenced the mycorrhizal dependency of finger millet in spite of its elaborate root system.