Interaction effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Glomus intraradices and Trichoderma harzianum on melon seedling production in arid

This research was performed in a semi-controlled greenhouse at the Canchones Experimental Station, where the interactive effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) Glomus intraradices (GI) and Trichoderma harzianum (Th) on the parameters of growth, differentiation, stress indicators and biochemical parameters, as well as the percentage of mycorrhization and colony forming units Th (CFU). The plant material used corresponded to melon cv. Honeydew Inodorus type. The treatments were: control (T₀), inoculation with GI at doses of 40 spores per plant (T₁), inoculation with GI at doses of 40 spores per plant + 1.5 * 10⁸ CFU of Th per tray (T₂) and Th dose inoculation with 1.5*108 per tray (T₃). Inoculation with GI was performed at the time of sowing and inoculation with Th was performed 15 days later. We used a design performing completely randomized multifactorial variance analysis (ANOVA) and mean separation test was used LSD, using the statistical software INFOSTAT α = 0.05. The results obtained in the destructive sampling at 50 days of sowing determined that co-inoculation with GI + Th (T₂) decreased the percentage of mycorrhizal colonization by an antagonistic action of Th on GI, compared with the highest percentage of mycorrhizal determined in T₁, in T₀ and T₃ treatments not mycorrhizal colonization was determined. As for the treatments inoculated with Th (T₂ and T₃), no significant differences between treatments were determined inoculated, but a decrease in the population of Th between days 1 and 50 was determined. The only inoculation with GI had higher root biomass production, higher root dry weight ratio: stem dry weight and lower rate of etiolation. The nitrate reductase (NRI/NRE) activity was affected only in the treatments inoculated with GI, determining a higher ratio in these treatments. Co-inoculation between AMF and Trichoderma not determine an effect in promoting growth in melon plants, is Trichoderma had a detrimental effect on mycorrhizal colonization. Unlike GI inoculated individually had an effect on root growth which is determined by the high level of colonization.