Effect of AM Fungi on Biomass Production and Nutrient Uptake of Agroforestry Tree Seedling of Acacia species

Abstract

ABSTRACT
In a controlled pot experiment, agroforestry legume trees Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. and Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. Ex. Del seedlings were inoculated with three different species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Glomus deserticola, Glomus fasciculatum and Gigaspora margarita which were isolated by extraction from the soil from different localities of western Rajasthan. Inoculation treatments under water deficiency significantly increased biomass production and nutrient uptake in both the species of Acacia as compared to non-inoculated. While correlating mycorrhizal root colonization with abiotic factors, it was observed that increase in soil pH with decrease in soil phosphorus and soil nitrogen resulted in increased percentage root colonization as the study revealed. The most efficient response was observed by G. fasciculatum which resulted in more than two fold increase in nutrient uptake in case of A. senegal while G. deserticola responded most efficient towards A. nilotica.
Keywords: Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi, Acacia senegal, nutrient uptake, Glomus deserticola, Acacia nilotica