Impacts of soil on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: Growth responses of Moringa spp., plants sampled from lake victoria basin

E. Knopf, H. Blaschke, J. C. Munch, G. Rambold, A. Murage, P. Kirika, S. Okaka

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Depending on pressure on land, mineral turnover may not be able accommodate increased plant nutritional needs. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and symbiotic microbial consortia such as diazotrophs may improve and sustain plant production in Lake Victoria Basin (LVB), however soil factor may be bottlenecks to successful application. A biotest was conducted on the three rhizospheric soil types representative of the LVB. Plants established in vert+hist soils showed a rather superior germination rate of 62.5%, compared to loamy Oxisols at 33% and Alfisols with 58%. Moreover, vert+hist soils sustained a very high mycorrhizal colonization (>90% full cortex arbuscle occupancy) compared to its archetypes. Since vert+hist soils registered higher K content in soil chemical analysis at 42 per K (K2O5-CAL m) mg/100 g content compared to oxisols (11) and alfisols (33). Independent experiment with K+ salt and cultured inoculum AMF using pure vermiculite set under strict growth conditions revealed K influence on plant performance at symbiosis. The results revealed that although a major component of the organic N and P cycles in symbiosis influence plant growth, the missing loop K+ could be adjusted by adding a little K+ salt in eco-sensitive low-input agriculture.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12-21
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Biological Sciences
Volume16
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
  • Moringa
  • Plant nutrients
  • Soil
  • Vert+hist soil

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