EFFECT OF ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI ON ESSENTIAL OILS OF TWO PHARMACEUTICALLY IMPORTANT MENTHA SPECIES IN MARGINAL SOILS

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi have been used extensively in pharmaceutically important essential oil yielding plants in low fertility soils. The present study aimed at to find out the effects of monospecific GI (Glomus intraradicus) and indeginous AMF inocula, MC1, MC2 (with variable species composition) on essential oil yield, root colonization and spore density of Mentha arvensis and M. longifolia growing in nutrient deficient soil. Generally the mycorrhizal plants performed better than the non mycorrhizal plants in terms of growth performance but the extent to which the growth was affected on mycorrhization varied with the inocula used. MC1 containing higher AMF species richness exhibited maximum improvement in terms of growth parameter evaluated, and essential oil. As far as species response is concerned Mentha arvensis performed better in all measured aspects as compared to Mentha longifolia. Nevertheless, cultivated Mentha species responded well to AM-mycorrhization and hence inoculation of these crops with AM fungi would be of potential use for improving their productivity with environment protection