Effect of crop rotation on native vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal propagules in soil

• Published in: Plant and soil 1988-08, Vol.110 (1), p.77-80
• Main Authors: HARINIKUMAR, K.M., BAGYARAJ, D.J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural seasons; Agricultural soils; Agrology; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biochemistry and biology; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; Crop rotation; Cropping systems. Cultivation. Soil tillage; Cruciferae; Economic plant physiology; Eleusine coracana; Fallowing; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungal spores; General agronomy. Plant production; Generalities. Cropping systems and patterns; Glomus; Growing seasons; India, Bangalore; Microbial ecology; Mustards; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; Plants; propagules; Soil; Soil science; Symbiosis (nodules, symbiotic nitrogen fixation, mycorrhiza...); Tillage; vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizas; Vigna unguiculata
• ISSN: 0032-079X; 1573-5036
• DOI: 10.1007/bf02143542

The effect of crop rotation of native vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi was studied. Finger millet was grown as the first season crop in 15 plots. In the second season a mycorhizal host (cowpea) and a non-mycorrhizal host (mustard) were grown in 5 plots each, and the remaining 5 plots were left fallow. In the third season cowpea was grown in all the plots. Leaving the land fallow reduced the mycorrhizal propagules by 40% while growing a non-mycorrhizal host reduced it by 13%. Cowpea grown in the third season coincided with a slow build up of mycorrhizal propagules in soil. There was a slow build up of mycorrhizal propagules late in the season irrespective of the treatment in the preceding season.