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Frequent cultivation prior to planting to prevent weed competition results in an opportunity for the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus inoculum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2011

David D. Douds ,
Gerald Nagahashi  and
John E. Shenk
David D. Douds*
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS Eastern Regional Research Center, 600 E. Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, PA 19038, USA.
Gerald Nagahashi
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS Eastern Regional Research Center, 600 E. Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, PA 19038, USA.
John E. Shenk
Affiliation:
Shenk's Berry Farm, 911 Disston View Dr., Lititz, PA 17543, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: david.douds@ars.usda.gov
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Abstract

Inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is a potentially useful tool in agricultural systems with limited options regarding use of synthetic chemicals for fertility and pest control. We tested the response of Allium porrum cv. Lancelot to inoculation with AM fungi in a field high in available P (169 μg g−1 soil) that had been repeatedly cultivated to control weeds. Seedlings were inoculated during the greenhouse production period with a mixed species inoculum produced on-farm in a compost and vermiculite medium with Paspalum notatum Flugge as a nurse host. Inoculated and uninoculated seedlings were the same size at outplanting. Inoculated seedlings were over 2.5-fold greater in shoot weight and shoot P content than uninoculated seedlings at harvest. These results demonstrate the potential yield benefits from inoculation with AM fungi in situations where farm management practices may negatively impact on indigenous populations of AM fungi.

Keywords

leekstale seedbed
Type
Preliminary Report
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , December 2012 , pp. 251 - 255
Creative Commons
This is a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011. This is a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States.

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