INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF IRRIGATION PERIOD ON THE QUANTITY OF JUJUBE (ZIZIPHUS JUJUBA MILL.) TREE MYCORRHIZATION

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) is a native، economic Iranian plant mainly cultivated in Birjand. It is a deciduous shrub or tree with plain leaves with alternate placement pattern، androgynous flowers and hard fruits whose fruit and wood are used. Mycorrhiza is the most prevalent symbiosis between the fungi and vascular plants which has various types. Due to the beneficial effects of this symbiosis on growth، reaction to stress conditions، adaptation and propagation، the effect of irrigation period (water stress) on the degree of jujube’s colonization by mycorrhizae during a growth period was investigated based on randomized complete block design form of factorials with the factors being irrigation period، plant size، and time in the in farm conditions with two replications. Results from the investigation indicated that increasing irrigation period of trees which results in stronger water stresses increases mycorrhization. In addition، mycorrhization of the roots increases differently from May to August and there is a direct relationship between size of trees and quantity of mycorrhization. Considering the fact that jujube’s endomycorrhizal symbiosis facilitates its water and minerals absorption in environmental stressful conditions، using the technology of endomycorrhizal fungi development enables us to extend jujube cultivation lands to new environments in line with the principles of sustainable development.