Public concerned about food safety and quality have raised interest in manipulating soil nutrients management strategies that could reduce potential threat on environment and sustain food production. Recently, the application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)as bio-fertilizer has gained recognition especially, in low-input agriculture. The fungi are known to improve plant nutrition and growth. However, this effect may differ according to soil properties and nutrients concentration. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of AMF and poultry manure (PM) on growth and nutrients contents in maize compared to chemical fertilizer; and to determine the effect of soil properties on colonization potential of AMF. The experiment consists of 13 treatments combinations in 2 soil types (loam and peat), viz; 6 application rates of composted PM in tones (t) ha-1 (0, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12) and 2 levels of AMF; inoculated (+AMF) and un-inoculated (-AMF) plus recommended dose of NPK (RD NPK). Un-inoculated plants showed no symptoms of root colonization and recorded no AMF spore under both soils. Addition of PM stimulated AMF colonization and sporulation, the highest root colonization (RC %) and spore counts were recorded at 8 t PM+AMF under loam and 12 t PM+AMF in peat soils. Shoot dry biomass at 8 and 12 t PM+AMF under loam and peat were comparable to RD NPK. Applying 8 and 12 t PM+AMF in loam and peat recorded the highest N& K comparable to RD NPK. However, P content in shoot were statistically higher at 8,10 & 12 t PM+AMF in loam and at 12 t PM+AMF in peat compared to RD NPK. Application of 10 & 12 t PM+AMF in loam significantly decreased plant growth, lowered AMF RC%, and nutrient content (N & K). There was a strong positive correlation between shoot dry biomass and RC % in loam (R2= 0.740 P<0.01) and peat (R2=0.884 P<0.01). From the results of this study, it could be concluded that AMF have increased the efficiency use of PM and their integration have the potential to improve plant growth due to enhanced nutrients  uptake and stimulated RC% in both soils. Results also indicated significantly higher shoot dry biomass, nutrients content (N, P, & K), spore counts and RC % in loam soil compared to peat, indicating that soil properties has a significant influence on effectiveness AMF.Â

This study was conducted to compare the agronomic performance of four elite cocoa clones (MCBC1, KKM22, KKM4 and PBC230) regenerated from staminode and immature zygotic embryo culture with conventional grafted cocoa clones. From the results, it was found that the KKM4 clone propagated from immature zygotic embryo culture exhibited variations in the fresh pod weight (339.6 g), fresh individual seed weight (4.13 g) and number of flat beans per pod (4 beans) compared with the rest of the regenerated clones. The genetic stability of the somatic embryogenesis cultured clones and the donor clones was then tested using fragment analysis with five SSR primers, i.e. mTcCIR7, mTcCIR18, mTcCIR22, mTcCIR33 and mTcCIR40. Four of these primers identified variations in the allele size and allele addition in KKM4 clone from immature zygotic embryo. Molecular analysis validated that the difference in agronomic performance of the KKM4 clone from immature zygotic embryo culture was due to genetic mutation created during the immature zygotic embryo culture process.

Abstract-Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a perennial woody plant belongs to Euphorbiaceae family

Aims: Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi or previously known as the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi, is a type of endomycorrhiza that closely associates with most species of plants. Meanwhile, they significantly improve the nutrients uptake in exchange of photosynthates and decrease the stress caused by both biotic and abiotic factors through symbiosis relationship. However, the understanding of indigenous AM fungi species present in its host plants are comparatively inadequate, hence this research study concentrated on indigenous AM fungi population in some selected plants that contribute to agricultural sector in Malaysia and phytochemical properties of soil that affect the colonization rate of AM fungi. Methodology and results: Bamboo, banana, coconut, sugarcane, papaya, lemongrass, pandan and tapioca plant were selected in this study. The soil and plant roots were sampled and the fungi spores were extracted by applying Wet sieves and decantation techniques then further purified by sucrose density centrifugation. Genera Glomus, Funneliformis, Rhizophagus, Acaulospora and Dentiscutata were isolated and Glomus was determined as the dominant genera followed by Acaulospora in these selected plants. Soil pH were found to be significantly affecting the AM fungi population and the root colonization percentage of AM fungi in the plants analysed. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: From this study, tapioca recorded the highest percentage of AM fungi root colonization rate with 20.00% in root while banana recorded the lowest rate of 3.33% only. Based on this study, tapioca is recommended for the propagation of AM fungi for biofertilizer usage in agricultural sector in future.