Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and colonization stimulant in cotton and maize

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of inoculation with different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi native to Cerrado, associated with the application of colonization stimulant (7-hydroxy, 4’-methoxy-isoflavone) at the initial growth of cotton and maize plants in a greenhouse. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design and 7x2 factorial scheme, with five species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and combined inoculation (uniting all species in equal proportion) and native fungi, in the presence and absence of colonization stimulant in maize and cotton crops. Shoots dry matter (SDM), roots dry matter (RDM), mycorrhizal colonization and accumulation of calcium, zinc and phosphorus in the SDM were evaluated at flowering. Inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the use of colonization stimulant at low density of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi propagules was beneficial to plant development. Inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi demonstrated different effects for the various parameters evaluated in cotton and maize, and the application of colonization stimulant promoted higher mycorrhizal colonization and initial growth in cotton, when associated with native AMF, and in corn, when associated with inoculation with Dentiscutata heterogama, Gigaspora margarita and Rhizophagus clarus.