The effect of different soil properties on arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of peanuts, sorghum and maize

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important for plant growth since they increase mineral influx. However, symbiosis efficiency is affected by many environmental factors. This study evaluated the effects of different treatments (+/- phosphorus; +/- liming; +/-organic matter; field, sandy or clayey soil textures) on root colonization (RC) of peanuts, sorghum and maize. The combination of these resulted in seventy-two treatments. The 2x2x2x3x3 factorial experiment was laid out in a randomized design. All data were subjected to variance analysis and the means were compared (Tukey at P≤0.05). Three months after seed germination, roots were collected to evaluate the percentage of RC. Results showed that soil texture and liming were the most important factors influencing colonization percentage in maize, sorghum and peanuts by AMF. Significant differences were also observed between the phytobionts. Organic matter (OM) had very little influence and phosphorus addition had no effect on RC.