Interaction between endomycorrhizae and native fruit tree (Myrtaceae) in Rio Grande do Sul state

Abstract

The interaction between plant species and endomycorrhizas (AM) favors the development of seedlings. In order to verify this interaction, it was developed a two-step research about of three species of arbuscular mycorrhizas (Glomus etunicatum, Gigaspora margarita and Scutellospora heterogama), as well as one control and three native Myrtaceae species in southern Brazil: Eugenia pyriformis Cambess, Myrcianthes pungens (O. Berg) D. Legrand) and Psidium cattleyanum Sabine in the production of seedlings. In the sowing stage, seeds of the plant species were sown in multicellular trays, filled with autoclaved substrate and 1 g of inoculum/cell containing each AM species studied. In this stage the emergence and initial development of the seedlings (height and number of leaves per seedling) were evaluated at 125 days after sowing. In the nursery stage, seedlings were transplanted to black polyethylene bags (5 L) containing disinfested commercial substrate, 480 days after transplantation, the vegetative development of the plants was evaluated colonization by the AMs in the roots. In the sowing phase, the AM colonized the roots, but did not alter the emergence and initial development of the seedlings. After transplantation to larger containers all AM species presented better performance when compared to the control, providing mean increments in the order of 135% for height, 195% for number of leaves, 299% for number of shoots and 209% for leaf area. Indicating the efficiency of the AMs in development acceleration of the plants and therefore the effective symbiosis between the forest species and the endomycorrhiza studied.

Keywords: Native fruit trees; Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; Forest nursery