Screening of AM fungi and Azotobacter chroococcum under natural,solarization, chemical sterilization and moisture conservation practices for commercial mango nursery production in north-west Himalayas

The present study investigates the performance of mango seedlings screened with indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and Azotobacter chroococcum strains under solarized, chemical sterilized and natural soil conditions. Two isolates each of AM fungi namely, Glomus fasciculatum (Thaxter sensu Gerdemann) and Glomus mosseae (Nicol. & Gerd.), and two strains of A. chroococcum viz., A. chroococcum strain-I (AZ1) and A. chroococcum strain-II (AZ2) were inoculated at nursery stage under four different moisture conservation practices viz., black polyethylene mulch and organic mulches (grass mulch, cover crops, green manure) and clean cultivation. The observations on microbial population, root colonization, growth parameters and leaf nutrient content of the seedlings were recorded. Mango seedling's inoculated with G. fasciculatum and AZ1 had increased seedling's height, diameter, leaf area and total root length, microbial consortium of the rhizosphere soil and leaf N, P, K and Zn content in plots where solarization and black polyethylene mulching was used. The study revealed that the inoculation of mango stones and the saplings with G. fasciculatum and AZ1 under solarized black polyethylene mulched practice may be considered the best practice for raising mango nursery and maintaining soil health under rain-fed conditions of mid-hills of north-west Himalayas.