Jaa. Espindola et al., INFLUENCE OF GREEN MANURES ON MYCORRHIZAL COLONIZATION AND YIELD OF SWEET-POTATO, Pesquisa agropecuaria brasileira, 33(3), 1998, pp. 339-347
This study was carried out in an arenic albaquult soil aiming to evalu
ate the effect of different green manures and fallow on indigenous VAM
fungal inoculum potential and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) yield. T
he treatments were: no vegetation, fallow, sun hemp (Crotalaria juncea
), jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), and v
elvet bean (Mucuna aterrima). Jack bean and velvet bean had a greater
shoot accumulation of N, P and K than other treatments. Previous culti
vation with leguminosae increased sweet potato yield over fallow. The
leguminosae incorporation into the soil reduced spore population in no
vegetation, jack bean and pigeon pea when compared with fallow. Howev
er, sun hemp, velvet bean and jack bean had a greater number of infect
ive propagules than no vegetation. The root colonization of sweet pota
to was greater in sun hemp, velvet bean and fallow when compared with
no vegetation. The sweet potato yield was directly correlated with the
amounts of N, P and K founded in the green manures mass.