Concentration mediated effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (amf) on growth and nutrition of air-layered litchi plants

For centuries, Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) has been commercially propagated by air-layering. But still, the results are not optimum due to the production of thick and brittle roots by the air-layers, which are sometimes difficult to establish in the nursery and field as well. It is established fact that Litchi quite readily forms natural symbiotic associations with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Despite, the effect of AM fungi on the growth and development of the fruit crops have been studied extensively, still the substantial results are lacking towards the mycorrhizal inoculum optimizations for best desirable effects. So, optimum concentrations of the AMF were worked out in terms of Infective Propagules (IP). In most of the characters leaving apart some characters, which were at par with the other treatments, most of the growth characters and nutrient levels were found to be significantly higher in the plants inoculated with higher concentrations of the AMF which in our case was of 800 IP. All the mycorrhizal treated plants showed good survival with only one mortality. AMF has proved its pivotal role in the development of healthy and vigorous planting material at the nursery level. The results have initiated the first step towards standardizing the optimum dose of AMF which will prove to be quite beneficial to the farmers and a strong impetus for the fruit growing industry.