Natural mycorrhizal colonization of different apricot rootstocks

Abstract

Mycorrhizae provide a permanent, reliable and natural way to reap the benefits of symbiosis. Since the susceptibility of different apricot rootstocks to mycorrhization varies considerably, tree conditions can be improved to varying degrees. To determine the degree of naturally occurring colonization (low, high and total), we tested two Hungarian scion cultivars (‘Gönci magyar kajszi’ and ‘Ceglédi szilárd’) with six rootstock cultivars from different origins. The results were obtained by microscopic analysis of dyed root samples. The rootstocks ‘Apricot seedling’ and ‘Myrobalan 29C’ are the most susceptible in our orchards. The insufficient colonization of the plum rootstocks ‘Wavit’ and ‘Fehér besztercei’ could be due to the water requirements of plum as a rootstock, which puts them at a disadvantage in non-irrigated conditions. However, no statistical differences were found between the rootstocks in the proportion of uncolonized roots, except that the roots of 'Gönci magyar kajszi' were more colonized than those of ‘Ceglédi szilárd’.