Purpose Rice straw is a waste product from the harvesting of Oryza sativa L. It is recurrently burned resulting in producing overheating, soil degradation, and air and water pollution. Methods A pot experiment was designed under polyhouse conditions to evaluate the effects of rice straw as a substrate with Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, Hordeum vulgare L. and Triticum aestivum L. as different host on mass multiplication of Glomus mosseae. Results AM fungi multiplication was greatly influenced by the presence, concentration (0, 25, 50 or 100 g/pot) and type of substrates. Soil amendment with compost rice straw proved more suitable for AM fungal multiplication over dry substrate. Sorghum bicolor acts as a suitable host and produced the most inoculum followed by Triticum aestivum. Conclusion Assessment of the effects of substrates and hosts on the multiplication of pure culture of AM Fungi is an important prerequisite condition for large-scale agricultural application and exploration as biofertilizers.

A pot experiment was performed to see the interactive potential of Glomus mosseae and Acaulospora laevis alone or in combination with Pseudomonas fluorescens on Ocimum basilicum L. under glass house conditions. Various morphological and physiological parameters were measured after 120 days. Although, all co-inoculation treatments showed beneficial effects but G. mosseae is found to be the most compatible strain found in the rhizosphere of basil plant. G. mosseae alone or in combination with other bioinoculants showed maximum increase in all the different parameters studied (plant height, fresh weight, dry weight, leaf number, inflorescence height, root and shoot phosphorus, acidic and alkaline phosphatase and oil content). The overall results demonstrate that the co-inoculation of P. fluorescens with AM fungi promotes higher mycorrhizal colonization enhancing nutrient acquisition especially phosphorus (P), producing plant growth hormones resulting in improvement of rhizospheric condition of soil, altering the physiological and biochemical properties of sweet basil.

Murraya koenigii L. (family: Rutaceae) commonly called as curry leaf is a highly valued plant for aroma and medicinal value. The two dominant AM species Glomus mosseae and Acaulospora laevis were isolated from the rhizospheric soil of M. koenigii. A pot experiment was performed to see the interactive potential of G. mosseae and A. laevis alone or in combination with Pseudomonas fluorescens on M. koenigii. Various morphological and biochemical parameters were measured after 120 days. Overall results suggest that although, all co-inoculation treatments showed beneficial effects on all the growth, physiological and oil content. The overall results demonstrate that the co-inoculation of bioinoculants like P. fluorescens with AM fungi promotes higher AM colonization and spore number enhancing nutrient acquisition especially phosphorus (P), improving the rhizospheric condition of soil.

Article InfoThis experiment was carried out to assess the effect of soil amendment with different concentrations of municipal sewage sludge (SS) as a substrate on inoculum production of two selected arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) i.e., Glomus mosseae and Acaulospora laevis. The experiment was a 4 × 5 factorial design with four hosts including, maize (Zea mays L.), lemon grass (Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle), palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini (Roxb.) Wats.) and Sesbania (Sesbania aculeata Poir.) and the following five SS concentrations 1) no substrate, 2) 25 g, 3) 50 g, 4) 75 g and 5) 200 g pot -1 ) with five replications. After 90 days, the host roots and its rhizosphere soil were examined for fungal mycorrhization in terms of percent of root colonization and AMF spore quantification. Furthermore, we calculated the response of each host in terms of increase in plant height (cm), root length (cm), root, fresh shoots, and dry weight (g). Mycorrhization pattern showed moderate to abundant intraradical mycelium, extraradical mycelium, vesicles, and arbuscules in all the host plants. This pattern varied with a change in the input level of SS. The 75 g treatment obtained the maximum mycorrhization of both the AMF, while the highest input level was detrimental to AMF and host plants' survival. Among the tested hosts, lemon grass and maize had a tremendous increment in G. mosseae and A. laevis inoculum respectively. Consequently, 75 g SS with lemon grass is the most compatible hostsubstrate combination capable of maximum G. mosseae and A. laevis spore production and root colonization and so far, highlights the significance of an alternative, cost-effective and affordable carrier medium that can be adopted by farmers as sustainable cultural practices for on farm AMF inoculum production.

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