MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI ARBUSCULAR IN FORAGE GRASSES CULTIVATED IN CERRADO SOIL

Abstract

THE USE OF DIFFERENT WEED CULTIVARS FOR FORAGE COVER IS GROWING INCREASINGLY POPULAR BECAUSE THE CLIMATE CHANGES FROM REGION TO REGION AND THE RESPONSE OF THESE PLANTS TO THE CLIMATE VARIES. MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI CAN BRING NUMEROUS BENEFITS TO THE PLANTS WITH WHICH THEY ARE ASSOCIATED. THEREFORE, INVESTIGATING THEIR INFLUENCE ON FORAGE GROWN IN SOILS OF THE BRAZILIAN CERRADO IS FUNDAMENTAL FOR UNDERSTANDING AND FOR DEVELOPING MORE EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES OF THIS CROP IN THE CERRADO REGION. IN VIEW OF THE ABOVE, THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK WAS TO VERIFY THE MYCORRHIZAL ACTIVITY IN DIFFERENT FORAGES CULTIVATED IN CERRADO SOILS. THE EXPERIMENT WAS CONDUCTED AT THE AGROSTOLOGICAL FIELD OF THE RICARDO FONTOURA EXPERIMENTAL STATION OF THE CERRADO WHICH IS PART OF THE EVANGELICAL COLLEGE OF GOIAN�SIA, BRAZIL. THE DENSITY OF SPORES AND THE MYCORRHIZAL COLONIZATION RATE OF 14 FORAGE GRASSES WERE EVALUATED. THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN SPORE DENSITY IN THE RHIZOSPHERE OF THE STUDIED PLANTS; UROCHLOA DECUMBENS FORAGE HAD A HIGHER RATE OF MYCORRHIZAL COLONIZATION, AND MEGATHYRSUS MAXIMUS CV. MOMBASA PRESENTED THE LOWEST VALUES. THE GENERA OF MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI IDENTIFIED WERE COMMONLY FOUND IN THE RHIZOSPHERE IN ALL GRASSES INVESTIGATED, EXCEPT FOR THE GENERA GIGASPORA, SCUTELOSPORA AND SCLEROCYSTS, WHICH INDICATES THAT THE ASSOCIATION WITH THESE GENERA OF FUNGI IS LESS RECURRENT THAN WITH THE OTHER GENERA.