Physic nut plants present high mycorrhizal dependency under conditions of low phosphate availability

Abstract

The physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.) is a perennial tree that occurs naturally in the tropical and subtropical regions of Brazil. Fruits of physic nut present an oil content of 28% on a dry weight basis. Although the plant has adapted to diverse soil conditions such as low fertility, the correction of soil acidity and the addition of fertilizer are essential for highly productive plants. Thus, the response of the physic nut to different soil phosphorus levels (P) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation must be characterized. Hence, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the response of physic nut seedlings to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation at different levels of soil P. Experiment was carried out in a greenhouse encompassing AMF treatments (inoculation with Gigaspora margarita or Glomus clarum, and the non inoculated controls), and phosphorus treatments (0, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg kg-1 added to soil). At low soil P levels, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation had a significant positive effect on plant growth, shoot and root dry matter content, plant height, number of leaves, total leaf area, leaf area per leaf and the Dickson quality index. The root:shoot ratio and the leaf area ratio were also affected by mycorrhizal inoculation and the level of P addition. Physic nut plants exhibited high mycorrhizal dependency at soil P additions up to 50 mg kg-1.