Abstract
The vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Glomus etunicatus and G. mosseae were used to inoculate citrus by banding inoculum below seed in seedbed experiment, and by dipping plant roots in inoculum with sticking agents in aqueous slurries in three field tests. Maximum potential plant growth was not reached with the highest inoculum level, 40 000 chlamydospores, in the seedbed test. Seedling plants dipped in slurries of inoculum containing carboxymethyl cellulose, casein or gum arabic grew better than noninoculated controls. Growth of plants dipped in slurries containing G. etunicatus and four hydrogels was significantly better generally than that of their respective controls; however all controls, including the control not dipped in hydrogels, were infected by indigenous species. Root-dip inoculation has a practical use in nursery citrus production.
