Development of arbuscular mycorrhizal spore production in hydroponic culture on leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativar var crispa L.)

• Main Authors: Saouy M., Pengchai P., Choonluchanon S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-80053010779&partnerID=40&md5=35a6007a11191397a8ce82e92f08c288; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/handle/6653943832/497
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

This study aimed to assess the suitability of a nutrient liquid solution for the production of Glomus verruculosum on leaf lettuce, a highly-colonized horticultural crop that is a host of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi for inoculum production. A hydroponic culture was developed to allow nursery production of an AM horticultural crop. A suitable host of leaf lettuce cultivars was selected by an initial experiment. The red-leaf variety was found to be the best host because it exhibit maximum amount of root infection. In a second experiment, 2 nutrient media; modified Long Ashton (LANS) and modified Hoagland medium (HNS) were compared for culturing AM fungi on leaf lettuce. After a pre-culture period of 4 weeks with 50 spores in sand substrate, the plants initially infected with AM fungi and irrigated with both LANS and HNS were not significantly different. At 4 weeks after transplanting in the hydroponic culture, the total percentage of root colonization was found to be significantly greater in HNS medium than in LANS medium. In a third experiment, 4 nutrient media (solution-I, solution-II, solution-III and solution-IV) of HNS were used to compare root colonization, plant growth and spore production. The solution was changed every week by a deep water culture technique. At harvest time, plants in a solution-I with containing of NO3 - as the N source and insoluble Ca3PO4 and CaSO4.2H2O had a higher percentage of mycorrhizal colonization and spore population than those using other nutrient media.