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CORRELATION BETWEEN PLANT GROWTH AND ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL COLONIZATION IN SOME RAINY SEASON GRASSES

TEHMINA ANJUM, ARSHAD JAVAID* AND M. BABUR MAHMOOD SHAH

Abstract: Mycorrhizal status and correlation between plant growth and mycorrhizal colonization of 13 rainy season grasses of Punjab, Pakistan viz. Brachiaria ramosa (L.) Stapf., Brachiaria reptans (L.) Gard. & Hubb., Dactyloctenium aegyptium Beauv., Digitaria timorensis (Kunth) Balansa, Echinochloa colonum (L.) Link, Eleusine indica Gaetn., Eragrostis poaeoides Beauv., E. tenella Roem. & Schult., Leptochloa chinensis Nees, Paspalidium flavidum (Retz.) A. Camus, Setaria glauca Beauv., Setaria verticillata Beauv., Urochloa panicoides Beauv., were studied. A great variation in different root and shoot growth parameters was recorded in different grasses. All the test grass species were found to be mycorrhizal. However, there was a great variation in degree of mycorrhizal colonization in different grass species. Mycelial, arbuscular and vesicular infections ranged from 21-82%, 0-56% and 4-42% in various test grasses. D. timorensis, B. ramose, B. reptans and E. tenella were found to be the more densely colonized grasses than rest of the test species. Mycelial and vesicular infections were negatively correlated with different root and shoot growth parameters. However, the correlations between different mycorrhizal and root/shoot growth parameters were insignificant.

Department of Mycology and Plant Pathology, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore, Pakistan.

Corresponding Author: arshadjpk@yahoo.com