IMPACT OF VAM ON PHOSPHORUS-NUTRITION OF MAIZE WITH LOW SOLUBLE PHOSPHATE FERTILIZATION

In a greenhouse pot experiment, maize was grown inoculated with the sp ores of the VAM fungi Glomus mosseae and Glomus multicaulis or non-ino culated. Low soluble ferrous phosphate (FePO4.4H2O) was added to the m ycorrhized and non-mycorrhized maize. The fresh and dry weights of myc orrhized plants with added phosphate (P) were higher than in mycorrhiz ed plants without added P or non-mycorrhized plants with added P. The amount of P in the soil samples from pots with mycorrhizal plants fert ilized with P was evidently smaller than those in samples also fertili zed non-mycorrhizal plants. The percentage of P was higher in tissues of fertilized mycorrhizal plants than in those mycorrhized plants with out or non-mycorrhized plants with added low- soluble P. These results indicated that plants in VAM symbiosis mobilize P better from low-sol uble P than non-mycorrhized plants.