Early Growth Characteristics of Corn Under Different Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) Inoculant Sources in a Conventional Cultivation System
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33477/bs.v15i2.13904Abstract
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) are widely recognized as biological agents that improve nutrient uptake, particularly phosphorus, and enhance plant adaptation under suboptimal soil conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different inoculant sources on the early vegetative growth of corn under a conventional cultivation system. A randomized complete block design was used with five inoculant treatments: unsterilized soil, sterilized soil, tidal soil, local tidal AMF propagules, and commercial mycorrhizae, with four replications. The observed variables included plant height, leaf number, stem diameter, and leaf greenness at 2, 3, and 4 weeks after planting (WAP). The results showed that inoculant source significantly affected plant height, leaf number, and stem diameter at 4 WAP. Leaf greenness was not significantly affected by treatment at all observation periods. Tidal soil treatment resulted in the highest plant height (53.92 cm), leaf number (6.58 leaves), and stem diameter (43 mm) at 4 WAP. Growth in unsterilized and sterilized soil treatments was relatively similar. Lower performance of local AMF propagules and commercial mycorrhizae may be associated with differences in inoculum compatibility; however, root colonization was not quantitatively measured in this study. These findings indicate that tidal soil has potential as a biological inoculant source for early corn growth under conventional cultivation.
Keywords: Biological Inoculation, Root Symbiosis, Plant Physiology, Soil Fertility
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
