Effect of Different Types of Inocula of Ectomycorrhizal Fungus (<I>Pisolithus albus</I>) on the Growth Improvement of </I>Eucalyptus tereticornis</I> Clone

Abstract

In the present investigation, different forms of P. albus inocula viz., basidiospores, vegetative mycelium and Ca alginate beads were applied to clonal plantlets of Eucalyptus tereticornis in order to determine the effect of each type of inoculum on the growth improvement of the plants. In this study, the treatments with the fungus recorded significantly greater plant height, root length, shoot and root biomass and collar diameter over uninoculated control plantlets. The maximum growth of plants was recorded in the treatment with pure mycelial culture inoculum, followed by the basidiospore. Least growth was recorded in the calcium alginate treated plants but it had significantly better growth than the untreated control plants.