Seasonal Changes in Abundance of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi of Cerasus Mahaleb (L.) Mill. and Their Correlation with Activity of Some Rhizosphere Enzymes (Case Study: Chahartagh-E-Ardal)

Mycorrhizal fungi, as a part of soil organisms, are mutualism for plant species that lead to an increase in soil fertility by enzymes secretion itself and stimulating the secretion of plant enzymes. The present study was carried out to investigate the potential and identification of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi associated with Cerasus mahaleb and enzymes activity of acid and alkaline phosphatase, urease and dehydrogenase. For this purpose, roots of five trees of Cerasus mahaleb and their rhizosphere were sampled in ChaharTagh-e-Ardal habitat located in ChaharMahal va Bakhtiari Province. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were isolated by wet sieve and identified using morphological characteristics. After soil extraction and carrying out biochemical reactions, soil enzymes activities were measured by spectrophotometer. In this study, six species of arbuscular fungus from four genera of Funneliformis, Claroideoglomus, Rhizophagus and Septoglomus were introduced as associated species with mahaleb, three species belonging to the genus Rhizophagus. The percentage of root colonization was 70.25% in spring and 76% in autumn. Also, the activities of acid phosphatase, dehydrogenase and urease indicated significant differences among seasons. The results showed that there is a significant positive correlation between percentage of root colonization and enzymes activities that shows influence of mycorrhizal fungi on enzymes activities in spring season. Due to the high percentage of mycorrhizal colonization in Cerasus mahaleb, dependence of this species on mycorrhizal symbiosis is essential and should be considered seriously in planting and rehabilitation programs.