Influence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus etunicatum L.) on mobilization of zinc in wetland rice (Oryza sativa L.)

In a greenhouse trial, rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar Pusa Basmati-1 was grown in a Zn-deficient Typic Ustochrept soil from IARI farm, New Delhi, India. The experimental design included two rates of inoculation with vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (VAMF), Glomus etunicatum (nil and inoculated) and different combinations of organic (farmyard manure, FYM) and inorganic (NPK, ZnSO4) fertilizers. The results revealed that a high intensity of root colonization in rice inoculated with G. etunicatum could be achieved by raising seedlings in P- and Zn-deficient soil in the nursery under aerobic conditions. Moreover, the VAMF that infected rice seedlings in the nursery also survived when the same seedlings were transplanted into pots under waterlogged conditions. The application of ZnSO4 significantly increased the inflow of Zn to rice roots at the panicle-initiation stage (40 days after transplanting) relative to NPK. The former treatment also increased root length, root weight, root volume and total uptake of Zn and thereby increased the grain and dry matter yields. Alternatively, these variables were substantially enhanced by inoculating rice with the VAMF, G. etunicatum. The VAMF-colonized rice plants were more active in acquiring Zn from either added or native sources than non-colonized plants, and consequently the available-Zn content in soil was lower after the harvest of rice.