Endomycorrhizal Interaction with Rhizosphere and Rhizoplane Mycoflora of forest Tree Species in Indian Arid Zone

Abstract

Microorganisms are present in great numbers on and near the feeder roots of trees and they play vital roles in numerous physiological processes. These dynamic processes are medicated by associations of microorganisms participating in saprophytic, pathogenic and symbiotic root activities. The major symbiotic association on tree species are mycorrhizal fungi. Among the mycorrhizal fungi, the Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi are ubiquitous and distributed in most ecosystems. These fungi act as biocontrol agent against root and soil borne pathogens and improve plant growth and vigour. In the present investigation, an experiment was conducted to study the interaction of VAM fungi with rhizosphere and rhizoplane mycoflora of important arid zone species viz., Acacia nilotica, A. senegal, A. tortilis and Prosopis cineraria under laboratory conditions. The results revealed the fact that the mycoflora of rhizosphere and rhizoplane was found to be very le'ls in VAM inoculated plants as compared to uninoculated (control) plants of all the tree species studied. It was seen that most of the pathogenic fungi such as species of Cylindrocladium, Fusarium, F. oxysporum, Rhizoctonia bataticola and R. solani were suppressed or completely eliminated from V AM inoculated plant roots and the rhizosphere soil samples. The significance of these findings is discussed.