ENTRAPMENT OF IN-VITRO PRODUCED SPORES OF GLOMUS VERSIFORME IN ALGINATE BEADS - IN-VITRO AND IN-VIVO INOCULUM POTENTIALS

In vitro produced spores of Glomus versiforme were entrapped in algina te beads and their inoculum potentials evaluated by a biological assay . Encapsulated spores were able to germinate and the regenerated mycel ium kept its ability to infect roots under controlled conditions. We e stimated to 65.8 the number of beads needed, each containing four spor es, to infect 50% of a population of susceptible plantlets. These resu lts show the possibility to encapsulate in vitro produced spores and t herefore represent a new kind of high quality inoculum, free of pathog ens.