Vesicular-arbuscular Mycorrhizal Status of Plants Growing in Rock Crevices of Valley Samahni

摘要

The Mycorrhizal status of plants growing in the rock crevices of valley Samahni, Azad Kashmir are described for the first time. For this purpose five different stands were selected from different areas of the valley. Mostly angiospermic trees, shrubs and herbaceous species including grasses, i.e., Themeda anathera, Heteropogon controtus and Eriophorum cosmosum were found growing in these rock crevices. Forty-three plant species belonging to 26 different families in these 5 stands were reported for VAM infection during the period March - September 1999. A comparative study of the five stands for VAM status revealed great variations in infection percentages of the same plant species in different stands. In certain cases arbuscules while in others vesicles were absent. In some plants both vesicles and arbuscules were found to be lacking. Soils were generally loamy to sandy loamy type with pH varying from 7.4 to 7.8, organic matter 0.42 to 1.00%, phosphorous 4.36 to 12.5 ppm. Cultivated crops can be important factor in increasing productivity under adverse conditions.