ROMANIAN BIOTECHNOLOGICAL LETTERS, cilt.15, sa.3, ss.5246-5252, 2010 (SCI-Expanded)
The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on growth and nutrient uptake of micropropagated cherry rootstocks was evaluated during acclimatization and plant establishment. Two commonly used cherry rootstocks, 'Edabriz' and 'Gisela 5', were propagated through tissue culture and grown in a greenhouse for 16 weeks. Plantlets were inoculated with Glomus Glomus caledonium, Glomus etunicatum. Glomus intraradices, Glomus mosseae, cocktail (mixture of these species) and indigenous mycorrhiza into three different substrate mixtures. All micropropagated cherry plantlets survived transplanting. After 16 weeks. mycorrhizal plantlets had greater nutrient uptake than non-mycorrhizal plantlets. Roots of inoculated cherry plantlets were heavily colonized with AMF. These results indicated that mycorrhizal inoculation during transplantation from in vitro to ex vitro culture can induce growth responses. The experiments also showed that the mycorrhizal cherry rootstocks were healthier and had higher Zn and P contents when compared to controls for both rootstocks. G. mosseae was one of the most efficient AMF species. Indigenous AMF isolated from Cukurova region also significantly increased the plant growth and nutrient uptake. 'Gisela 5' rootstocks had significantly higher P and Zn contents than 'Edabriz'. Taken together, our results indicate that AMF inoculations enhance growth and development of micropropagated plants which would be beneficial to improve cherry rootstock production.