A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOME CITRUS ROOTSTOCKS GROWN IN DIFFERENT SOIL TYPES INOCULATED WITH MYCORRHIZAE FUNGI

Abstract

This study was conducted during 1998 & 1999 at. the Nursery of Desert Research Center at El-Mataria (Egypt) to study the effect of soil type (calcareous, sandy and loamy sandy) and some soil treatments (soil inoculation with mycorrhizae fungi, i.e. Glomus macrocarpum and Glomus australe and rock phosphate fertilization (I g/pot) on seedling growth and leaf mineral content of some citrus rootstocks (Sour orange, Rangpur lime and Volkamer lemon). The results demonstrated that seedlings grown in loamy sandy soil surpassed the corresponding ones grown in sandy soil regarding seedling growth and leaf mineral content. On the contrary, seedlings grown in calcareous soil gave the lowest values in this respect. Besides, soil inoculation with mycorrhizae fungi particularly Glomus macrocarpum and fertilized with rock phosphate induced a pronounced positive effect in this sphere.