Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal diversity in some important ethnomedicinal plants of Western Himalaya Verma Rachna1,*, Tapwal Ashwani2, Kumar Dinesh1, Parkash Vipin3, Puri Sunil1 1Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Bajhol, District Solan-173229, Himachal Pradesh, India 2Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India 3Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India *Corresponding author e-mail: rachnac83@gmail.com
Online published on 4 October, 2019. Abstract In the present study diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was analyzed in seven important ethnomedicinal plants viz. Trillium govanianum Wall. ex D. Don, Bergenia ciliata (Haw.) Sternb., Leucas lanata Wall ex. Benth, Rumex obtusifolius L., Justicia adhatoda Nees, Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton and Acorus calamus L. The AMF diversity in rhizosphere and in the roots was investigated and reported for the first time in L. lanata, R. obtusifolius, T. govanianum and B. ciliata of district Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India in the western Himalaya. Maximum mycorrhizal spore count was observed in the rhizosphere of P. frutescens. The most predominant genus was Glomus with fifteen species followed by Acaulospora, Gigaspora, Scutellospora, Entrophospora and Sclerocystis. Top Keywords Mycorrhiza, percentage root colonization, ethnomedicinal plants, Western Himalaya, Glomus mosseae. Top |