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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi might alleviate aluminium toxicity in banana plants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2000

G. RUFYIKIRI
Affiliation:
Université catholique de Louvain, Unité des Sciences du Sol, Place Croix du Sud 2/10, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
S. DECLERCK
Affiliation:
Université catholique de Louvain, Mycothèque de l'Université catholique de Louvain (MUCL
Part of the Belgian Co-ordinated Collection of Microorganisms (BCCM).
), Unité de Microbiologie, Place Croix du Sud 3, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
J. E. DUFEY
Affiliation:
Université catholique de Louvain, Unité des Sciences du Sol, Place Croix du Sud 2/10, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
B. DELVAUX
Affiliation:
Université catholique de Louvain, Unité des Sciences du Sol, Place Croix du Sud 2/10, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Abstract

Some mycorrhizal plants exhibit greater resistance than nonmycorrhizal plants to aluminium toxicity. This has not yet been shown for banana despite its importance as a cash and food crop in tropical regions, although bananas are sensitive to aluminium stress. We studied the effects of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices in alleviating aluminium toxicity in the banana cultivar Grande Naine grown in a continuous-nutrient-flow cultivation system using dilute solution. The micropropagated plants, some of which were inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, were grown for 40 d in pots filled with sand, and continuously irrigated with a nutrient solution containing up to 180 μM of aluminium. Water and nutrient uptake were measured once a week for 24 h, and root arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization, biomass production, and mineral content of roots and shoots were measured at harvest. The root arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization was large, and not significantly influenced by aluminium treatment. The effects of aluminium on both mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal plants were: decrease in biomass production, water and nutrient uptake, and magnesium content of roots and shoots; greater aluminium content in roots than in shoots; and increase in potassium and phosphorus content, particularly in roots. A significant positive effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on plant growth was observed with aluminium treatment, and was most pronounced at the highest concentration. The benefits, compared with nonmycorrhizal plants, included: increase in shoot dry weight, uptake of water and of most nutrients, and in calcium, magnesium and phosphorus content, particularly in roots; decrease in aluminium content in root and shoot; and delay in the appearance of aluminium-induced leaf symptoms. These results indicate that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi could be effective in alleviating aluminium toxicity to banana plants.

Type
Research article
Copyright
© Trustees of the New Phytologist 2000

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