Development and nutrient levels of coffee seedlings inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi. Effect of organic matter and simple superphosphate

Abstract

It was studied the effects of inoculation with the endomycorrhizal fungus Gigaspora margarita on nutrition and growth of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) seedlings grown in fumigated soil treated with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 kg per m³ as simple superphosphate, with and without organic matter (cattle manure) in substratum. One experiment was conducted in a glasshouse and the other in a commercial nursery. Growth and the nutrient were measured levels 120 days after inoculation and transplantation. At glasshouse the inoculated seedlings had higher levels of P and Cu and lower levels of N and Mn when compared with noninoculated seedlings. For the commercial nursery, the benefits of inoculation were minimum. The organic matter addition increased the growth and nutrient levels of coffee seedlings at both experiments. The influence of the different dosages of simple superphosphate and their effects on the presence of organic matter and effectiveness of the fungus and colonization of the roots are also discussed.