Objective.

To determine the effectiveness of mycorrhizal-arbuscular fungi (AMF) of soils with different agricultural uses, in the middle valley of the Sinú river, Colombia.

Materials and methods.

The experiment was carried out under greenhouse conditions, where Leucaena leucocephala was used as the indicator plant, which was planted in masons with an Andisol soil (horizon B) used as a substrate. This substrate was inoculated separately with samples from seven soils (Ap horizon), as a source of AMF, from the Turipaná Research Center in Agrosavia. As controls we included inoculation with HMA Glomus fasciculatum and one non-inoculated one. The effect of mycorrhizal inoculation was evaluated by monitoring the foliar P content in L. leucocephala plants, as a function of time to 64 days, when the dry mass of its aerial part and mycorrhizal colonization was determined.

Results.

The growth of L. leucocephala and the foliar P content was significantly higher when the soil was inoculated with G. fasciculatum, in comparison to that observed with the other treatments. Likewise, mycorrhizal colonization was very high in the roots of L. leucocephala that grew in the soil inoculated with G. fasciculatum and lower in the other treatments.

Conclusions.

The results indicate that the native AMF of soils with different uses, from Turipaná, exhibited low potential to develop mycorrhizal symbiosis, which limited the growth and concentration of leaf P in the host plant.

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