Consortium Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Pseudomonas fluorescens with Various Levels of Superphosphate on Growth Improvement of Cotton (G. arboreum L.)

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted to see the impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, i.e., Funneliformis mosseae and Acaulospora laevis to cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.) with phosphate-solubilizing bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens in the presence of different doses of superphosphate, i.e., 750 mg/3 kg soil (half of the recommended dose), 1500 mg/3 kg soil (recommended dose), 3000 mg/3 kg soil (double than the recommended dose) with five replicates resulted in effective plant height, shoot and root biomass, root length, leaf area, root colonization, AM spore number, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, shoot and root P content, fiber yield, and acidic and alkaline phosphatase activity. All growth parameters like plant height, fresh and dry shoot weight, fresh and dry root weight, root length, leaf area, AM spore number, percent mycorrhizal root colonization, total chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, acidic and alkaline phosphatase activity, shoot and root phosphorus content, fiber yield were highest in combination F. mosseae + P. fluorescens of lower concentration. Higher dose of superphosphate markedly reduced or decreased all the growth parameters. So, vigorous growth and maximum yield of cotton can be achieved by inoculation of plant with AM fungi (F. mosseae), P. fluorescens along with half of the recommended dose of superphosphate/lower concentration.

Keywords:

• Gossypium arboreum
• AM fungi
• P. fluorescens
• phosphorus uptake
• phosphatase activity
• growth parameters

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Additional information

Funding

Senior author (Neetu Badda) is thankful to UGC, New Delhi for financial assistance in the form of RGNF (Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship) to carry out this investigation.