Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on growth on Artocarpus heterophyllus and Syzygium cumini seedlings in iron ore mine rejects

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play an important role in the improvement of plant growth. They are vital for the uptake and accumulation of ions from the soil and their translocation to the hosts because of their high metabolic rate and strategically diffused distribution in the upper soil layers. The increased uptake of nutrients especially phosphorus is of particular importance because it is often correlated with improved growth of mycorrhizal plants. As there are too many problems associated with the mass production of AM fungal inocula, it is not feasible to inoculate large tracts of land with these organisms. However, transplants colonized by AM fungi would be of a greater advantage on mine reclamation site, as limited nutrients in the soil would be more effectively extracted. An attempt was made to study the growth responses of selected AM fungal species on growth and biomass of seedlings of two tree species viz, Artocarpus heterophyllus and Syzygium cumini. Inoculation with different AM fungal species had varied effects on stem girth, leaf length, leaf area, leaf number, shoot and root (fresh and dry) wt and total plant biomass and plant P content. Among the three AM fungal treatments, pre-inoculation with Glomus mosseae showed profound increases in total seedling biomass and P uptake in both the tree species.