Selection of mycorrhizal fungi for the initial growth of Albizia polycephala

Abstract

The use of inoculant mycorrhizal fungi brings several benefits to plants and may contribute to the production of high-quality and low-cost forest seedlings. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of different species of mycorrhizal fungi to the initial growth of seedlings of Albizia polycephala. The experiment was evaluated every two weeks for a total period of 135 days. A randomized block design was established with nine replications and six treatments where there was one control (absence of inoculants) and five treatments with different species of AMF: Gigaspora margarita, Dentiscutata heterogama, Scutellospora calospora, Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Acaulospora colombiana. All AMF inoculants promoted growth in seedlings of Albizia polycephala, but the most effective were Acaulospora colombiana, mainly due to superiority in diameter, size of the largest leaf and weight of dry matter, which reflected similar results regarding mycorrhizal efficiency. Inoculation with Scutellospora calospora is a secondary alternative because this also favors the growth of A. polycephala and contributes to the increase in the content of leaf phosphorus.