Response of Hybrid Maize to Mycorrhizal Inoculation

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are widespread and agronomically important plant symbiont and often stimulate plant uptake of nutrients such as P, Zn, Cu, and Fe in deficient soils and increases resistance of plants to heavy metals and salts. Plants with coarsely branched roots and with few or no root hairs are expected to be more dependent on mycorrhizal fungi than are plants with finely branched root systems. Scanty information is available on the role of AM fungi on the growth and nutrient uptake of maize especially in soils of India which are generally phosphorus deficient or have an insoluble form. AM mycorrhizae are involved in P nutrition of maize and an understanding of their functioning will assist us in modifying management practices to maximize economic returns through increased fertilizer efficiency. Despite the fact that AM fungal colonization promotes P or N nutrition of host plants independently, the interaction between P and N has been rarely studied in the maize- mycorrhizal system. Hence, an attempt is made to study the influence of graded levels of inorganic (N,P) fertilizers and mycorrhizal inoculum in increasing the productivity and the quality of hybrid maize.