Comparison of Colonization Potential of AM Fungus Glomus intraradices Cultured under In Vitro and In Vivo Condition Srinivasan M.*, Kumar K., Kumutha K. Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-03 *Email: srinimicrotech@gmail.com
Online published on 24 December, 2014. Abstract The establishment of in vitro production of arbuscular mycorhizal (AM) fungi has great potential in understanding AM symbiosis with other soil microorganisms. The colonization potential of AM fungi obtained through in vitro and in vivo methods in maize (Zea mays L.) was studied. Glomus intraradices spores produced from monoxenic in vitro-culture through root organ culture (ROC) method and by open pot culturing methods in vivo (soil root segments) was used. The maize seeds were grown in pots maintained under greenhouse with controlled environmental condition and two types of growth media were tested viz., soil and sand mixture and vermiculite. Root colonization potential of in vitro-produced spores was higher than the root-segment inoculum, reaching 63% and 53% respectively, after 60 days incubation period with soil and sand mixture substrate. The spore count per 100 g of soil was highest in soil sand mixture (145±3.58) than vermiculite based media (121±2.99) when in vitro cultured spore where used as inoculum. Maize roots colonized by the monoxenically-produced spores showed high colonization potential, less contamination and thus it can be used in biochemical and molecular investigations of the AM symbiosis. In contrast, the roots colonized through open pot culture method were substantially contaminated by other fungi and showed low colonization percentage. Top Keywords Carrot hairy root, in vitro, Glomus intraradices, in vivo inoculum, soil sand mixture, vermiculite, maize. Top |