Abstracts |
An experiment was conducted in pots containing field soil low in available P (7.8 mg P/kg soil) to evaluate the response of 7 wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes, i.e. DL 1231-1, DL 1231-2, DL 1010-5, DL 1135-9, DL 1189-4, NP 846 and DL 2044-1, to inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and its effect on phosphorus-utilization efficiency (PUE). The genotypes were inoculated with (+) or without (-) AM fungi (Glomus macrocarpum) in the absence of P application to soil. Significant increase was observed in percent root colonization (up to 50%), shoot (18-88%), root (25-96%) and whole plant dry matter (29-91%) under +AM inoculation, whereas the shoot:root ratio was high under -AM. Phosphorus uptake in shoot was significantly higher due to +AM treatment in DL 1010-5 (39%) and DL 2044-1 (60%). Similarly, genotypes also showed a wide range of response to +AM under P stress. DL 1010-5 recorded the highest (191%) degree of dependency on mycorrhiza and also produced maximum number of tillers (5.67), shoot biomass (4.68 g/plant), total plant dry matter (6.52 g/plant) and had high amount of P uptake (10.17 mg/plant). The genotypes exhibiting a positive response to +AM such as more number of tillers, increased dry matter, higher root colonization, increased uptake of nutrients and higher efficiency of P utilization under P stress would provide the breeders with gene pool to develop genotypes with efficient Puptake and utilization abilities. |