In field trials developed with sweet bell pepper varieties, native mycorrhizal isolates and the introduced consortium Dentiscutata heterogama + Gigaspora ramisporophora (Dh+Gr) were shown to be functionally important, exhibiting high levels of effectiveness. The effects of the pure inoculants with respect to the consortia were also highly variable, with the Dh+Gr consortium having a synergistic effect on the two chili bell pepper varieties and, in contrast, the MIX consortium having an antagonistic effect.
▶ The findings encouraged trying to elucidate how transferable their results are to the cultivation of sweet bell pepper variety Pepón, under greenhouse conditions and using loam soils with neutral pH, low content of salts and organic matter, average values of available nitrogen and high content of available phosphorus.
It was also observed that not all AMF species were able, under these conditions, to stimulate phosphorus uptake and growth variables in paprika plants (Capsicum annum L. conquistador variety), despite the fact that all the AMF species studied colonized, with similar percentages, the roots of this important plant of the Solanaceae family.
While Rizophagus manihotis, Acaulospora lacunosa, Racocetra fulgida and Dentiscutata heterogama did not generate a response in the variables evaluated that statistically differentiated them from plants not inoculated with AMF, Funneliformes mosseae was the only effective AMF species capable of significantly increasing plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, shoot and root dry biomass and shoot phosphorus content.
These results seem to leave no doubt about the existence of a certain functional complementarity between paprika plants of the conquistador variety and F. mosseae, and also demonstrate that high available phosphorus contents do not inhibit the establishment, development and functioning of this plant-HMA combination.
The authors conclude that the inoculation of paprika seedlings of the conquistador variety with this AMF species is key to contribute to the achievement of sustainable agriculture, less dependent on agro-inputs, shortening the nursery period of the plants and reducing production costs, technological dependence and energy costs.
