Evaluation the Effect of Symbiosis with Mycorrhizal Fungus on Growing Characteristics and Minituber Yield of Potato Plantlets

To evaluate the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation on growth، yield and minituber production of potato plantlets، a pot experiment was conducted using a factorial based on completely randomized design with four replications. The factors were mycorrizal inoculation (non-inoculated and inoculated with Glomus mosseae، Glomus etunicatum and mixed of them) and two potato cultivars (Agria and Sante). Some growing characteristics and physiological traits such as chlorophyll content، internode length stem diameter، stolon length، leaf area، fresh and dry stem weight، fresh and dry root weight and percentage of colonization were measured. After harvesting، minitubers were separated to different classes according their size and their percentage of dry matter was measured. The results showed that inoculation with mycorrhiza had significant effect on all parameters. In growth characters the interaction of cultivar and mycorrhiza was significant only in stolon diameter and root fresh and dry weigh. The interaction of cultivar and mycorrhiza had significant effect on production of all minituber classes. Highest number of minituber was achieved by inoculating with mixture of fungi. Correlation coefficients demonstrated that most of growth parameters and minituber yield had significant relation with colonization percentage.