Inoculants of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Influence Growth and Biomass of Terminalia arjuna under Amendment and Anamendment Entisol

Abstract

Entisol soil is hard and compact in nature, rendering it high in bulk density, which influences root penetration adversely and thereby poor plant growth. In this experiment, used seven treatments in different combination in normal soil, were used as growth media for the Terminalia arjuna seedling. T3 (60% entisol) found the best as it gave the highest biomass in the species regardless of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) treatment. AMF treatment enhanced the growth and biomass of plants significantly in all the given treatments. AMF colonization observed a maximum in tertiary roots. T1 (100% entisol soil) exhibited the highest degree of AMF colonization in tertiary roots, resulting in the highest mycorrhiza dependency of plants for this soil. The addition of normal soil to entisol soil was found to decrease the bulk density, resulting in increased root diameter, and T3 plants exhibited the highest biomass and AMF compatibility for T. arjuna species. The T. arjuna plant’s growth and biomass responded positively to AMF in all types of treatments. The plant’s growth and biomass were highest in the T3 treatment, which had a bulk density of 1.50 g/cm³. In this study, we combined the entisol with mycorrhizal inoculation of the nursery growing medium to promote plant growth and biomass, improve the plant’s ability to hold water and absorb nutrients, and lower the entisol’s bulk density. The T. arjuna (Roxb) plant responds very favorably to mycorrhiza inoculation in nursery conditions with the entisol growth medium.

Keywords:

• AMF
• entisol
• soil amendment
• soil mixture
• Terminalia arjuna

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environmental Science, Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur. They provide the working instruments and the research area for the work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data will be available on request.

Additional information

Funding

The research was funded by UGC Vide Sanction Order No. 42-740/2013 (SR).