Mycorrhizal efficiency in acerola seedlings with different levels of phosphorus

ABSTRACT

The objective of this work was to evaluate the response of acerola seedlings to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) with different levels of phosphorus (P) additions. The experiment was carried out in greenhouse conditions, in a randomized factorial design with four treatments of AMF (control without AMF inoculation; Gigaspora margarita; Glomus manihotis; and Glomus clarum) and four phosphorus treatments (0, 30, 90, 270 mg kg-1 soil) in four replicates. The acerola plants were harvested after 120 days of the experiment. There were significant effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation on the plant growth and nutrient contents in the plant shoots, mainly under lower P soil levels. Mycorrhizal plants presented a decrease of 55 percent of manganese content in the shoot.