Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and phosphorus affect Araucaria angustifolia seedling growth

Symbioses between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) provide many advantages, including a reduced need for fertilization. In this study, the effects of AMF inoculation and phosphorus application on the growth and nutritional status of Araucaria angustifolia seedlings were evaluated. The treatments included inoculation with AMF ( Gigaspora margarita , Rhizophagus intraradices , Acaulospora colombiana , Acaulospora scrobiculata , or Dentiscutata heterogama ), inoculation with a mixture of AMF in 100 g of 50 -year -old araucaria forest soil, application of two doses of P2O5 (25 or 100 mg kg( -1) ), and the control. A completely randomized design was used, with seven replicates per treatment. The growth parameters, macronutrient and micro -nutrient contents, root colonization, and mycorrhizal effects on the extracted nutrients were evaluated at 75 and 150 d post germination. Analysis of variance, correlations, and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to evaluate that data. Inoculation with AMF had favorable effects on growth parameters, root colonization, and the extraction of macronutrients and micro -nutrients. In particular, the mixture of AMF from the 50 -year -old araucaria forest soil, R. intraradices , and A. colombiana were beneficial. Similarly, the application of 25 mg of P2O5 significantly affected the growth of A. angustifolia seedlings compared to other treatments and increased the efficiency of root colonization.