Parameters for Selecting Efficient Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi for Plants Under Microcosm Conditions

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are mutualistic symbionts imparting a number of benefits to plants and are being advocated for being potential biofertilizer in the agriculture and forestry sectors. Superior AM fungi for forestry tree species (Acacia nilotica var. cupressiformis, Albizzia lebbeck and Eucalyptus tereticornis) and horticultural plant species (Capsicum annum, Allium cepa and Fragaria ananassa) were evaluated in a completely randomized design microcosm trial involving AM species of native and exotic origin. Out of ten AM fungal species used with forest species, G. intraradices (AM-1004) and mixed indigenous AM fungi (AM-1209) were found to give the highest P uptake in shoots, whereas in horticultural plants AM-1004 and AM-1207 (commercial inoculum, Mycorise) followed by mixed indigenous AM fungi (AM-1209) gave the highest P uptake in shoots. The shoot dry weight in these superior AM-mediated plants also indicated greater response and were highly correlated with P uptake (r = 0.53–0.88) and to a lesser extent with root colonization (r = 0.41–0.81). P uptake in the early growth stage (6–8 weeks) of AM-inoculated plants can be used as an indicator to evaluate superior AM fungi for growth promotion of forestry and horticultural plant species.