Feasibility of commercial grade production of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculum under greenhouse conditions

The use of biofertilizers is very effective in soil fertility, food safety of consumers and environmental health. In this study, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were produced with two types of culture media in greenhouses.

this experiment, seven species of mycorrhizal fungi were propagated in two types of pot substrates in the presence of corn plant in greenhouse conditions with a growth period of four months. Fungal species were Rhizophagus intraradices, Glomus versiforme, Rhizophagus irregularis, Scutellospora calospora, Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Funneliformis mosseae. Two types of pot substrates including A substrate: (cocopeat, vermiculite with a volume ratio of 1:1 and Humic acid with a concentration of 250 mg/L) and B substrate: cocopeat, vermiculite and compost (With a volume ratio of 1: 1: 0.4) were used for plant culture.

The results showed that the percentage of root colonization had no significant difference between the substrates type, but the simple effects of the fungi (P <0.01) and the interactions of the fungi × substrate (P <0.05) were significant. In A substrate, Rhizophagus irregularis (72.87%) and in B substrate Rhizophagus irregularis-Sweden (67.12%) and Glomus versiforme-Tabriz (67.85%) showed the highest percentage of root colonization. The fungi Rhizophagus irregularis and Glomus versiforme were tested for inoculum potential by MPN method and the number of their propagules were 30 and 22.5 in 50 ml of substrate, respectively.

Based on the test results, the use of organic compost is recommended compared to humic acid in terms of economics and easy accessibility.