Mycorrhizal infection and citrus rootstocks growth in function of inoculum type of mva fungi

Abstract

A greenhouse study was made on the efficiency of two inoculum types of mycorrhizal vesicular-arbuscular (MVA) fungi on the establishment of symbiotic association and on the growth of 'Rangpur' lime (Citrus limonia Osbeck), 'Flórida' rough lemon (C. jainbhiri Lush) and 'Florida FM' rough lemon (C. jambhiri Lush). The inocula of Glomus mosseae (Nic & Gerd.) and G. etunicatum (Becker & Gerd.) consisted of: 1) 50 ml of soil containing mycelium, fragments of infected mycorrhizal roots and propagules enough to provide 500 chlamydospores per plant and 2) 50 ml of suspension containing approximately 1,000 chalamydospores of the MVA fungi per plant. The plant height was greater in all treatments with inoculum composed of soil, infected mycorrhizal roots and spores, especially in the association between G. etunicatum and 'Florida FM' rough lemon. The highest increase of dry weight was observed in plants inoculated with soil plus propagules, independently of the MVA fungus and rootstocks utilized.