Influence of Different Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Growth and Yield of Chilly

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are known to be supportive to crop plants through uptake of diffusion limited nutrients, biological control, hormone production and drought resistance, etc. It is important to screen and select the efficient arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for each crop, because the same species may not be suitable for all the crops. Chilly is one of the major commercial crop of our country. Pot experiment was conducted to screen and select the efficient arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for inoculating chilly. Screening was done with eleven different species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Acaulospora laevis, Gigaspora margarita, Glomus bagyarajii, G. etunicatum, G. fasciculatum, G. intraradices, G. leptotichum, G. macrocarpum, G. monosporum, G. mosseae and Scutellospora calospora). Plant parameters like height, stem girth, bio-volume index, biomass of shoot and root, fruit yield and mycorrhizal parameters like root colonization, spore number in the root zone soil, etc. have been recorded according to the standard procedures. Based on the improved plant parameters like bio-volume index, plant biomass, fruit yield and phosphorus uptake it is concluded that Glomus mosseae is the best arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus for inoculating chilly in the nursery. © 2013, The National Academy of Sciences, India.