Asian Journal of Research in Botany

Aim: To determine the influence of four AMF strains on dry biomass of root, stem and leaf of P. mildbraedii under salt stress.

Place and Duration of Study: Calabar in the south-south zone of Nigeria. A study was conducted between February and May, 2021.

Methodology: The experiment was a 9 × 3 randomised complete block design comprising of nine treatments with three replicates, totalling 27 pots. The P. mildbraedii seedlings were inoculated with four AMF strains (Glomus intraradices, Glomus etunicatum, Glomus mossae, and Glomus occultum) and were subjected to a 75 mM level of sodium chloride (NaCl) salt stress. AMF colonization and dry biomass were determined at harvest (12 weeks after emergence).

Results: The results clearly indicated that all the salt stressed seedlings had higher AMF root colonization than their unstressed counterparts. Seedlings treated with G. intraradices (Gi) in combination with NaCl (GiNaCl) recorded the highest root colonization of AMF of 96.24% and 66.77% as the lowest in seedlings inoculated with G. intraradices. The total dry weight of the inoculated seedlings were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher than the control even under salt stress. However, inoculation with G. intraradices recorded the highest total dry weight of 16.03g/plant followed by G. mossae with 14.00 g/plant.

Conclusion: AMF-inoculated plants can successfully cope with different ecological extremes (salinity) and subsequently help improve afforestation in coastal areas of Nigeria. Improvement in dry biomass accumulation is an essential mechanism of salinity tolerance in mycorrhizal plants.