Plant Height and Stem Diameter of Solanum quitoense Lamarck Improved with Applications of AMF and Biostimulants

Abstract

The lulo plant (Solanum quitoense Lamarck) is native to South America. In Mexico, this species shows potential for the conversion of agroecosystems. It is used as food and pharmaceutical sources for metabolites. However, there are few papers related to how this species can grow under conditions outside of the Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru). The objective of this research was to evaluate the development of lulo under cloud forest conditions and the effect of inoculating the plant with mycorrhizae (Funneliformis mosseae (T. H. Nicolson and Gerd.) C. Walker and A. Schüssler, and Entrophospora colombiana Spain and N. C. Schenck) and diammonium phosphate (DAP: NPK 18-46-00) fertilization. The plant growth, leaf area, mycorrhizal colonization, and leaf mineral content were evaluated from transplant to fruit formation. The experiment was conducted under field conditions in volcanic soils (clayey Vertisol) in a cloud forest. The inoculation of E. colombiana was 86.19% of the colonization, and the content of N, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Fe in the leaves was the higher in these plants. The highest P content was obtained from the DAP treatment and the height of the plant was 11.8% and 12.5% in the treatments using DAP and E. colombiana, respectively. The plant growth was significantly higher in the plants inoculated with E. colombiana followed by DAP. The plants inoculated with F. mosseae registered lower values than the control. Lulo plants grow in the climate and soils of volcanic origin of the cloud forest. The results showed that AMF colonization was beneficial and outperformed the native strains. The results are new for the introduced lulo plants in Mexico and can help reduce the learning path for commercial cultivation.