Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus mosseae) selection by date palm root system: The clue to a sustainable fertile soil in Jerid region of Tunisia

Abstract

In Jerid region pedoclimatic conditions and agricultural practices are of major importance in shaping the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the rhizophere of date palm tree. Glomus mosseae (dominant species) isolated from soil was multiplied and used as inoculum for date palm seedling. For this study, a pot experiment was conducted under greenhouse condition to assess the effect of inoculation with arbuscular mycorhizal fungus (Glomus mosseae) and mycorrhizal soil (substrate containing the propagules) compared to control seedlings. The result of analysis carried out in this work revealed that the addition of mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus mosseae) and mycorrhizal soil allowed us to conclude that the increase in phosphorus and nitrogen availability in soil solutions leads to a decrease in mycorhization rate and vice versa. Furthermore there is a good correlation between these two parameters. The levels of exchangeable calcium and magnesium tend to increase slightly over time estimated that their absorption mechanism is the same as for phosphorus. The absorption of these elements often difficult to assimilate by the plant is improved by the mycorrhizal association. That is to say, the increase in their removal is mainly due to better exploration of the soil by extra-rooted hyphae. In addition, endomycorrhizae are much less influenced by certain interactions between soil elements. Greenhouse experiments clearly show that artificial inoculation with mycorrhizal soil and spores (Glomus mosseae) has led to an improvement in the fertility of soils used as a substrate for culture, with a superiority of infection caused by mycorrhizal soil.