Growth Response of Banana to Three Mycorrhizal Fungi in Pratylenchus goodeyi Infested Soil

Abstract

The effects of the interaction between three arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and the lesion nematode Pratylenchus goodeyi on the growth of banana were studied under greenhouse conditions in the Canary Islands. Banana cv 'Grand Naine inoculated with Glomus mosseae and G. agregatum showed significantly increased plant development for most growth parameters in P. goodeyi infested soil 10 months after inoculation with the AM fungi and 8 months after nematode exposure. Nitrogen levels in mycorrhizal plants were significantly higher in P. goodeyi infested soils. Early mycorrhizal inoculation appears to increase host tolerance by enhancing plant nutrition and by reducing the nematode induced lesions in the roots.