Influence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on the Growth and Development of Micropropagated Rubus fruticosus ‘P45’ Plants during Acclimatization

Abstract

Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L.) is an important fruit-yielding crop that is propagated by tissue culture. Ex vitro transplantation is a critical step in blackberry micropropagation. This study explored the usefulness of the mycorrhization of micropropagated blackberry plants to enhance growth and development during the acclimatization stage. Two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), namely, Gigaspora margarita and Gigaspora albida, were mixed in equal proportions and used to treat the acclimatizing blackberry plants. The AMF-treated plants were taller (15.33 cm) and had more leaves (14.33/plantlet), more leaf area (143.66 cm2/plantlet), and shoots with higher fresh (2.76 g/plantlet) and dry (0.77 g/plantlet) weights. These plants also showed the highest values for the total root length (752.64 cm/plantlet), surface area of roots (733.03 cm2/plantlet), and fresh and dry root biomass values (1.21 g/plantlet and 0.295 g/plantlet, respectively). Additionally, CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rates were higher in AMF-treated plants than in the control plants. These results emphasize the importance of treating micropropagated plants with AMF during the acclimatization stage.