Abstract

QUINONES-AGUILAR, Evangelina Esmeralda; HERNANDEZ-ACOSTA, Elizabeth; RINCON-ENRIQUEZ, Gabriel  and  FERRERA-CERRATO, Ronald. Interaction of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and phosphorus fertilization in papaya. Terra Latinoam [online]. 2012, vol.30, n.2, pp.165-176. ISSN 2395-8030.

Studies carried out on symbiosis between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and diverse plants have revealed the importance of these endophytes in different aspects of plant nutrition and protection. Thus, for the production of fruit trees grown in nurseries, the use of AMF can contribute to obtaining healthier and more vigorous plants in less time for establishment in the field. In most soils, phosphorus (P) is not easily available for plants, but they have developed diverse strategies to absorb it better, e.g., morphological, biochemical and molecular changes in the root, as well as establishing associations with AMF, whose hyphae promote absorption and transport of P. In this study the response of papaya (Carica papaya L.) to inoculation with the AMF strain Glomus sp. Zac-2 and phosphate fertilization was evaluated. A mixed trifactorial experiment (2 × 3 × 4) was set up. The studied factors were mycorrhizical inoculation, source and dosages of P, the variables evaluated were plant height (PH), stem diameter (SD), leaf area (LA), radical volume (RV), radical dry weight (RDW), foliage dry weight (FDW) and percentage of mycorrhizal colonization (PMC). The obtained results showed significant differences (Tukey, P ≤ 0.05). Inoculated plants, compared with plants without inoculation, showed increases in growth of 486.51% in PH, 594.31% in SD, 1084.61% in LA, 6962.35% in RV, 13591.43% in RDW, and 4992.03% in RDW. The response of the plants to the fertilization was variable and depended on the dosage and source of P and the interaction of both factors with the AMF. The results show that the papaya plants respond positively to these microorganisms, which allow them to take better advantage of the nutriments in the soil. This suggests that AMF are beneficial in substrates free of other microorganisms in the production of papaya seedlings in nurseries.

Keywords : superphosphate; phosphate rock; mycorrhiza; mycorrhizal symbiosis; phosphorus.

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