Variation in Growth Characteristics, Nutrient Uptake, and Essential Oil Content in Three Mycorrhizal Genotypes of Mentha spicata L.

Abstract

Mycorrhizal fungi can improve root system efficiency and nutrient uptake. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi species of Glomus etunicatum and Glomus mosseae on root colonization, growth, and nutrient uptake, accumulation of carbohydrates, content of volatile oil, and density of trichomes in 3 genotypes of Mentha spicata, collected from Isfahan, Kermanshah and Yazd in Iran. An enhance was observed in the indices of growth, chlorophyll content (of a, b, total and carotenoids) , nutrient uptake such as phosphorus in the shoot and root and accumulation of carbohydrates in shoot of inoculated seedlings compared to control group samples. Results of this study showed that the response of mint seedlings inoculated with each type of fungi is also dependent on the genotype of host plants. Amount of essential oil in inoculated plants increased up to the maximum amount of 1.38 times compared with control plants. Also, increase of essential oil was obviously associated with amount of biomass and density of glandular trichomes.