Studies on Developing a Root Based Amf Inoculum and its Bio-Efficacy in Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.)
- M.Sc. (Agri)
- Dharwad University of Agricultural Sciences 2024
- 121 32 Cms
ABSTRACT
Bio-fertilizers consist of naturally occurring substances that enhance soil fertility, benefiting both soil health and plant growth. Abuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) able to significantly reduce the need for chemical fertilizer inputs, especially phosphorus. The development of root-based AMF inoculants represents a key innovation in sustainable agriculture, offering long-term benefits for soil quality, plant health and environmental preservation. The study was undertaken to develop root based AMF suitable for seed inoculation. Different substrate combinations of vermiculite, soil and organic matter were tested to identify a suitable substrate mix for producing AM-infected roots. Among them vermiculite, soil and FYM in a 2:1:1 ratio with 46.82% root colonization yielded 0.3 g of infected root biomass per plant. Among the five plant hosts screened for their suitability, maize was found to yield higher root biomass (0.55g plant-1) with higher AM colonization in roots (61.25 %). AMF colonized roots of maize were ground in a pestle and mortar then lyophilized to develop root-based inoculum formulations with gum arabic and humus at 2 per cent. Among the developed formulation tested in wheat, the treatment receiving formulation with 0.3 g root inoculum Kg-1 seeds and 2 % humus or gum arabic emerged as the most effective in terms of higher mycorrhizal parameters, plant growth, enzymatic activity as well as soil and plant N, P and K. The shelf life study on maize with different formulations revealed that chopped root inoculum maintained higher number of viable propugules from 180 to 64 infective propugules per gram of inoculum after 90 days.