Growth Response of Soybean to Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization Mali B. L., Shah Rakesh Department of Plant Pathology, Maharana Pratap University of Agricultural and Technology, Udaipur - 313001 (Raj.), India Abstract Both VAM fungi (Glomus fasciculatum and G. mosseae) colonized the roots of soybean and spread branched mycelia in cortical tissues. The hypha were hyaline and produced characteristic intracellular haustoria “arbuscles” after 30 days. Globose to subglobose thick walled “vesicles” developed inter or intracellulary, as terminal hyphal swelling after 60 days of plant growth. Similarly the chlamydospores also developed singly at hyphal tips of external hyphae after two months of inoculation. The spore wall in G. fasciculatum differentiated into 2–3 layers in a single wall group, smooth and uniform in thickness, whereas the outer surface of spores in G. mosseae was rough and wrinkled and their hyphal attachments were differentiated by a basal typically funnel shaped protrusion of spores themselves. Both VAM fungi enhanced plant height and biomass, dry weight of shoot and root, mycorrhizal density and root colonization and chlamydospores population in rhizosphere. In most cases G,fasciculatum proved significantly better over G. mosseae. The uptake and content of three essential elements (N, P, and K) were also significantly higher in mycorrhizal soybean plants. The inoculation of these VAM fungi at the time of sowing was found essential for best plant growth, colonization, nutrient uptake and spore production in rhizosphere soil Top Keywords Glomus fasciculatum, G. mosseae, Mycorrhiza vesicular, arbuscular, Soybean, colonization, nutrient uptake. Top |