PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

 

e-ISSN 2231-8542
ISSN 1511-3701

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Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization and Growth of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) in Autoclaved SoilIsmail

S. Manian, Thomson T. Edathil and K. Udaiyan

Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, Volume 18, Issue 2, August 1995

Keywords: VAM, autoclaving, soil microbes, tomato, biomass

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The effect of autoclaving soil on vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungal colonization and biomassproduction of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) was assessed in pot experiments under greenhouseconditions. Four treatments were given viz., (1) VAM-free plants in autoclaved soil, (2) VAM plants in autoclaved soil, (3) VAM plants in autoclaved soil amended with VAM-free filtrate of non-autoclaved soil, and(4) VAM plants in non-autoclaved soil. The VAM plants grown in non-autoclaved soil showed the highest root colonization of 87.78% while those under (2) and (3) showed only 55.11 % and 56.94% respectively. On the other hand, significantly higher shoot length (105.4 cm/plant), total leaf area (740.3 cm?/plant) and biomass (8.43 g/plant) were obtained in VAM plants grown in autoclaved soil. VAM-free plants in autoclaved soil had reduced growth. In treatments 3 and 4 plant growth was intermediate. The results indicate that VAMcolonization and sporulation were favoured under natural conditions, but VAM plants under autoclaved soilconditions produced maximum growth.

ISSN 1511-3701

e-ISSN 2231-8542

Article ID

JTAS-0085-1995

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