Evaluation of potato growth traits by inoculation of mycorrhiza under drought stress conditions

This experiment had been carried out to evaluate the potential of mycorrhiza fungus on growth rate and performance of plantlets derived minituber in water deficiency condition. The test was conducted in a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with four replications. The factors included four level irrigation regimes (100%, 85%, 75% and 65% of water field capacity), inoculation of potato minituber by mycorrhiza sp. Glomus intraradices and non-inoculated ones. Growth indices such as stem length and diameter, internode number and length, stem and root fresh weight, leaf area and chlorophyll content were measured. Analysis of variance showed that the main effect of mycorrhiza and water irrigation regimes had significant effect by probability of 1% α level on stem length, leaf area, chlorophyll content, colonization percentage, fresh and dry stem weight, fresh and dry root weight and number of minituber. Interaction effect of two factors was significant only in leaf area, chlorophyll content and dry root weight. By mean comparisons demonstrated that the highest internode and stem length, fresh and dry stem weight, fresh root weight, leaf area and chlorophyll content were accomplished in mycorrhizal inoculation with 85% FC providing water. Totally, the results demonstrated that mycorrhization of minituber in two lower water available levels produce plantlets that had same situations as compared with non-inoculated of 100% FC providing water.