Effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal isolates and organic manure on growth and mycorrhization of micropropagated Dendrocalamus asper plantlets and on spore production in their rhizosphere

Abstract

 The effect of three different inocula of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi was studied on the growth, biomass, P uptake, root colonization and AM spore production in tisssue culture-raised Dendrocalamus asper (bamboo) plantlets in two types of soil: (1) sand : soil 1 : 1 (2) sand : soil : organic manure 1 : 1 : 0.5 (v/v). The first two inocula were isolated from the bamboo rhizosphere and the third from teak rhizosphere soil. After 12 months, significant positive effects of inoculum on shoot P concentration, root colonization and spore production were observed in the sand : soil medium. In the organic manure-amended medium, these parameters further improved. Amendment with organic manure highly influenced spore production (5.3 to 17.8 fold increase) and enhanced height and dry biomass of D. asper plantlets.