Occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in rhizosphere of selected agroforestry tree species of Bundelkhand region

摘要

Agroforestry is an intensive land use management system that integrates trees, shrubs, crops, etc. on a landscape level to achieve optimum benefits (2). Many forestry tree species are being evaluated for their suitability in agroforestry systems at National Research Centre for Agroforestry (NRCAF), Jhansi. Most of these are hardy in nature and gaining popularity for utilization of marginal and degraded lands in arid and semi-arid regions of our country. Harsh climatic conditions, poor soils and scarcity of water in these areas pose problems in their establishment and survival (1). Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) colonize the root system of most native land plants and confer many benefits to the host under stress conditions. It improves uptake of phosphorus, certain minor elements, water and enhances plant growth, resistance to root diseases and water stress. It also improves hardiness of transplant stock (10). Looking to the importance of agroforestry in modern agriculture and advantages associated with AM fungi, present study was conducted to evaluate the status of these in rhizosphere of selected agroforestry tree species of Bundelkhand Region.