Initial growth of sugarcane inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and phosphorus

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of inoculation with different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) species and P levels (KH₂PO₄) on growth and nitrogen (N) and P contents in plants of sugarcane. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using a completely randomized design in a factorial 6×5+1, with 4 replicates, the factors being evaluated: levels of P (0, 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg kg^-1), inoculation with AMF (Claroideoglomus etunicatum, Gigaspora albida, Gigaspora margarita, Rhizophagus clarus and indigenous AMF in the area of sugarcane cultivation) and a control without inoculation. At 60 and 90 days after planting at a level 50 mg kg^-1 of P plants inoculated with G. albida had greater height. Plants inoculated with G. albida, in level 0 mg kg^-1 of P, had 300 % increase in shoot dry matter compared to the absence of inoculation. The maximum production of dry matter of shoots of plants inoculated with G. albida was 149 g associated with 424 mg kg^-1 of P. The inoculation with G. albida favors the initial growth and N content of the sugarcane plants, whose dependence and mycorrhizal efficiency was 13.6% and 254%, respectively, at the dose 0 mg kg^-1 of P.