Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the rhizosphere of Musa spp. in western Cuba

Abstract

Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in banana and plantain fields in western Cuba is here reported. Thirty rhizosphere soil samples were collected and used for direct evaluation of the AMF community and establishment of trap cultures. AMF spores were extracted from the soil samples by wet sieving and decanting, and species were identified based on the morphology of the spores. Overall, 56 AMF morphospecies were differentiated within at least 10 genera. From the total number of morphospecies, 25 were identified up to the species level, and 31 were morphologically different from described species. From field samples, 42 morphospecies were verified, with predominance of the genera Acaulospora and Glomus. However, the most frequent species recovered directly from the field samples were Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Funneliformis geosporum. Additionally, 14 morphospecies were only obtained in the trap cultures, from which five could be identified up to the species level while the other nine corresponded to apparently undescribed species. It was concluded that banana and plantain fields in western Cuba have highly diverse communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.