Abstract
Three vegetable crops, namely coriander (Coriandrum sativum), fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraecum), and carrot (Daucus carota), were inoculated with vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) fungi and grown in nutrient-deficient sandy-loam soils amended with organic matter. Under field conditions, shoot and root dry weights and total uptake of P and N were significantly increased in all the inoculated plants. The crops differed in the extent to which they were colonized by VAM fungi, the colonization being 76% in coriander, 63% in carrot, and 60% in fenugreek. Infection propagules were produced in greater numbers on coriander and fenugreek. The extent of increase in green yield following VAM inoculation was greater in plots amended with leaf compost in equal proportions (1:1) than in those amended with a higher proportion (2:1). The high levels of VAM colonization and large number of infectious propagules demonstrated the potential of these crops as substrates for inoculum production. The increased yields indicate the possibilities of using VAM to increase yield.
