Influence of Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) on drought tolerance and charcoal rot disease of cowpea

• Published in: Biotechnology reports (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Netherlands), 2017-03, Vol.14 (C), p.8-15
• Main Authors: Oyewole, B.O., Olawuyi, O.J., Odebode, A.C., Abiala, M.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; Cowpea; Drought; Macrophomina phaseolina
• ISSN: 2215-017X; 2215-017X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2017.02.004

•Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) shows the ameliorating potentials on water stress in the cowpea cultivars.•The destructive ability of Macrophomina phaseolina is well established.•AMF demostrate it inhibitory property against the virulent M. phaseolina. The influence of Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) (Glomus deserticola and Gigaspora gigantea) were evaluated on drought tolerance and charcoal rot disease of cowpea genotypes: IT90K-277-2, IT84S-2246-4 and IT06K123-1. IT90K-277-2 and IT84S-2246-4 were sown in 3kg of sterilized soil for drought experiment with five treatments. Treatment was established thirty days after germination with inoculation of G. deserticola, the mycorrhizal treated cowpea withstand the water stress and produced high yield. Biocontrol experiment had 2kg sterilized soil potted into bags with cultivars IT90K-277-2 and IT06K123-1, fourteen treatments were established with soil drenched before planting and simultaneous inoculation. Soil drenched with AMF before planting and inoculation of M. phaseolina after 10days of germination recorded higher growth parameters, while the simultaneous inoculated plant was the most effective in reducing disease severity. However, simultaneous treatment of G. deserticola, G. gigantea and M. phaseolina were most effective for both growth parameters and reduction of disease severity.