PJB-2011-402
CROP STRAW BURNING PRACTICE-A THREAT TO ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL BIODIVERSITY
GHAZALA NASIM
Abstract
The burning of crop straw or vegetable remains is a traditional agricultural practice in many countries of the world including Pakistan. Present study reveals that the crop straw /veg remain burning practices in urban Pakistan is a growing threat to the biodiversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal communities in the region. The study reports that some of the species of AM fungi use these plant portions as their ecological niches and categorically sporulate in decaying sheathing leaf bases/non root portions like scale-leaves of cereal crops and vegetables. This includes species of Glomus, Sclerosystis and Acaulospora. Setting the left over plant materials into fire has lead to complete burning of the biomass into ashes and sterilization of upper 10-15cm of surface soil (Fig. 1). This practice if continues may totally eliminate the threatened species like Glomus monosporum, Acaulospora bireticulta and Sclerocystis pakistanica.
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