Profiling Mulberry Arbuscular Mycorrhiza and Development of Mulberry Specific AM Fungi

Abstract

newline Experiments were carried out in the Department of Sericulture, Forest College newlineand Research Institute, Mettupalayam to identify the suitable AM fungi specific to newlinemulberry. A survey was carried out in ten different mulberry growing areas of newlineTamil Nadu in two different seasons viz., season I (summer) and season II (winter). newlineDharmapuri recorded highest root colonization and spore density in season I (96.72% and newlineand 331.06 spores per 100 g of soil, respectively) as well as season II (97.37% and newline329.63 spores per 100 g of soil, respectively). newlinePhysicochemical properties of the collected soil samples were analysed. The soils newlinewere found to be slightly acidic to moderately alkaline (5.78 - 8.73) and electrical newlineconductivity ranged from 0.221 to 1.068 dS m-1. The available nitrogen, phosphorus, newlinepotassium and organic carbon ranged from low to high as 115.27 to 481.79 kg ha-1, newline4.03 to 26.33 kg ha-1, 47.68 to 238.27 kg ha-1 and 0.10 to 0.95% respectively. Among all newlinethe soils, Dharmapuri soil has the optimum physicochemical properties whereas newlineVillupuram soil recorded the poor physicochemical properties. newlineAmong the isolated AM fungal spores, Glomus was majorly present in all the newlinesamples followed by Acaulospora while Entrophospora and Septoglomus were observed newlinein very less soils. Glomus has the maximum root colonization (100%) and spore density newline(107.55 per 10 g of soil) and minimum was recorded in Septoglomus (72.94% and 82.41 newlineper 10 g of soil, respectively). newlineIn pure culture, Glomus, Acaulospora and Scutellospora performed well and their newlinecombinations were mass multiplied in different hosts and substrates. Among them, newlineGlomus + Acaulospora + Scutellospora multiplied in soil:vermiculite with lemon grass as newlinehost reported the highest root colonization of 99.99% and highest spore count of 121.10 newlineper 10 g of soil whereas the lowest was observed in Scutellospora alone multiplied in newlinesoil:sand with maize as host (62.47% and 24.70 spores per 10 g of soil, respectively). newlineThe best performing AM consortia was applied to two mulber