Influence of the endomycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae on the development of peanut pod rot disease in Egypt

The interaction between the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae an d the two pod rot pathogens Fusarium solani and Rhizoctonia solani and subs equent effects on growth and yield of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) plants w ere investigated in a greenhouse over a 5-month period. At plant maturity, inoculation with F. solani and/or R. solani significantly reduced shoot and root dry weights, pegs and pod number and seed weight of peanut plants. In contrast, the growth response and biomass of peanut plants inoculated with C. mosseae was significantly higher than that of non-mycorrhizal plants, b oth in the presence and absence of the pathogens. Plants inoculated with G. mosseae had a lower incidence of root rot, decayed pods, and death than no n-mycorrhizal ones. The pathogens either alone or in combination reduced ro ot colonization by the mycorrhizal fungus. Propagule numbers of each pathog en isolated from pod shell, seed, carpophore, lower stem and root were sign ificantly lower in mycorrhizal plants than in the nonmycorrhizal plants. Th us, G. mosseae protected peanut plants from infection by pod rot fungal pat hogens.