Mycorhizal fungi and phosphorus on growth, yield and nutrition of intercropped grain sorghum and soybean

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of three endomycorhizal fungi species on intercropped sorghum and soybean growth, nutrition and grain yield in a Dark-Red Latosol (Typic haplusthox) fumigated soil amended with 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg of P. The experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions. Sorghum shoot dry weight increased by 55%, 33% and 6%, and grain dry weight increased by 31% and 21%, respectively to Glomus etunicatum and Gigaspora margarita. Glomus clarum did not statistically differ from the control. Soybean shoot dry weight and grain dry weight showed linearly increase with P levels indepedently of mycorhizal fungus inoculation, while dry grain weigth incresed in the same way as that of sorghum Glomus etunicatum was the most efficient mycorhizal fungus among the species at all P levels. The results demonstrate that mycorhizal inoculation contributed substantially to increase shoot and grain dry weight as well as to increase N, P, K, Zn and Cu shoot contents. These responses varied with soil P levels and mycorhizal species.