Impact of arbuscular mycorrhizae on growth of plantain vitroplants on soils with different fertility under controlled conditions in Cameroon.

摘要

Introduction. Plantains and bananas are a commonly consumed food crop and are an important staple food in the Cameroonian economy. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can improve banana growth. A study was conducted in pots under a screen house in Njombe (Cameroon) with vitroplants of plantain (Musa AAB, cv. Batard) to evaluate their reaction to mycorrhization on five soils with different levels of fertility. Materials and methods. The plants were inoculated with a local strain of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (Glomus sp.) during the weaning phase. Growth parameters (girth, height, leaf number and leaf surface area, fresh weight and percentage of dry matter) and mycorrhizal parameters (frequency and intensity of mycorrhization) were observed after eight and twelve weeks of inoculation. Results and discussion. Eight weeks and twelve weeks after inoculation, plant growth parameters were significantly higher in infected compared with non-infected plants. Inoculated plants showed a significant increase for all growth parameters studied, compared with non-inoculated plants, irrespective of the soil type. The mycorrhizal effect was also significant on fresh weight and percentage of dry matter, with higher values in inoculated plants compared with non-inoculated plants. The highest mycorrhizal frequency was registered in plants on poor soils. Conclusion. Our results show that mycorrhization of plantain has a beneficial effect on some fertile soils, but this effect is more significant on poor soils. Confirmation of these results in field trials is necessary in order to verify whether mycorrhization of plantains can improve growth and yield on poor soils at a low cost..