Preliminary studies also show evidence clearly indicating that different species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may differ widely in their ability to colonize plant roots and promote plant survival, growth and phosphorus uptake.
▶ Such differences in the infectivity and effectiveness of AMF symbiosis seem to be mediated by a zone of optimal interaction, regulated by the plant, the fungus and the soil, suggesting that the type of AMF species with which we inoculate a given plant species is not indifferent, since there is a continuum in the symbiosis response, ranging from mutualism to parasitism.
▶ Credits: springer – [Image of Public Domain]
Thus, inoculating a crop of socioeconomic interest with an AMF species that is not functionally compatible could generate great economic losses, hence the need to promote, through the Arbuscular Mycorrhizae Laboratories, lines of research aimed at the study of AMF, with special emphasis on their importance as a biotechnological resource to promote sustainable agriculture.
In this sense, the present work aims to determine highly effective AMF-plant combinations in strategic crops in order to present the high functional diversity of the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in Rosita Rojo (RR) and Rosita Amarillo (RA) sweet bell pepper plants.
For not all plant-AAM combinations were equally effective in stimulating growth and flowering and, although the author found combinations of high and medium effectiveness, some AMF species had minor effects or were not effective in promoting growth and flowering of RR and RA sweet bell pepper plants, while others behaved as functional parasites.
The native AMF isolate was found to be very effective on both chili bell pepper varieties. In addition, the author observed that the effects of the pure inoculants with respect to the consortia were also highly variable: while some exhibited a synergistic effect, others showed an antagonistic response. It is worth asking to what extent these novel and interesting results could be transferable or applicable to the cultivation of Pepón sweet bell pepper.
NOTE: Reference material.