Abstract

FLORES-BELLO, María del Rocío et al. Effect of Inoculating Leucaena Seedlings with AM Fungi. Terra Latinoam [online]. 2008, vol.26, n.2, pp.127-131. ISSN 2395-8030.

Leucaena leucocephala (leucaena) is a forage legume that can be used as a protein complement for animals. However, establishment of this plant species presents some problems. Considering that legumes are highly susceptible to association with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, this work was conducted to determine the effect of Glomus intraradices and G. etunicatum on the growth of L. leucocephala under nursery conditions. Height, number of leaves, and stem diameter were recorded every seven days during the experiment. Mycorrhizal colonization and root length were determined at the end of the experiment. The optimal height for transplanting (30 cm) was achieved at 83 days; which is normally required from Day 90 till 120. The highest values were found in all plant variables inoculated with G. intraradices (P≤ 0.05). These results suggest that these AM fungi may be an option for improving production of leucaena seedlings in nursery.

Keywords : Glomus intraradices; Glomus etunicatum; arbuscular mycorrhiza; legume; forages; protein; root length.

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