Nutrient availability effects on vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) seedlings and transplants |
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Authors: | JERRY H. HAAS&dagger ,A. BAR-TAL&Dagger ,B. BAR-YOSEF&Dagger ,JAMES KRIKUN§ |
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Affiliation: | †Department of Plant Pathology, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, 50250 Bet Dagan, Israel;‡Institute of Soils and Water, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, 50250 Bet Dagan, Israel;§Department of Plant Pathology, A.R.O., Gilat Experiment Station, 85280 Gilat, Israel |
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Abstract: | Pepper (Capsicum annuum) seeds were sown in nutrient-poor sand or nutrient-rich peat/vermiculite amended or not amended with Glomus macrocarpum. The vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) seedlings were irrigated with three levels of nutrient solution, and transplanted into four levels of P-amended soil, each of which was irrigated with two levels of nutrient solution minus P. Mycorrhizal seedlings in sand were responsive to increasing nutrient levels; in nutrient-rich peat the seedlings did not respond to additional fertilisation. The greatest seedling development accompanied by good fungus colonisation was in nutrient-poor medium irrigated with the highest nutrient solution tested (18 mM N, 1.2 mM P, and 7 mM K). Non-VAM plants almost ceased growing between the weeks 4 and 5, whereas VAM plants increased in weight by 41–188%. After transplanting, sand-grown seedlings benefited from VAM when 300 mg P/kg or more was added to the soil but peat-grown plants did not. Fruit development was delayed in all non-VAM plants compared with VAM ones. |
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