Growth improvement of grasses associated with Leucaena leucocephala co-inoculated with an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and a rhizobia isolate; [Mejora del crecimiento de gramíneas asociadas a Leucaena leucocephala co-inoculada con un hongo micorrízico arbuscular y un aislado de rizobio]
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The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the association of Leucaena leucocephala, and its co-inoculation with a strain of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Claroideoglomus claroideum and a local isolate of rhizobium, on the performance of associated grasses (Bouteloua gracilis, Bouteloua curtipendula and Setaria macrostachya). The mycorrhizal structures and nodulation were also studied. Three independent experiments, one for each grass species, were grown in association with L. leucocephala co-inoculated and non-inoculated, or alone (control treatment). Grasses associated with co-inoculated L. leucocephala produced a greater number of stems than those associated with non- inoculated L. leucocephala. B. gracilis and B. curtipendula grown with co-inoculated L. leucocephala accumulated higher biomass. The concentration of chlorophylls a, b and total chlorophylls in S. macrostachya were favored by the association with L. leucocephala; whereas in B. gracilis such effect was only observed for chlorophyll b. Co-inoculation promoted the development of mycorrhizal structures in the rhizosphere and the number of nodules in roots of L. leucocephala, although the percentage of effective nodules did not reflect differences due to treatments. In conclusion, the association of grasses with L. leucocephala and its inoculation with AMF and local rhizobium isolates not only promotes the development of mycorrhizal structures and nodulation, but also increases growth and the content of photosynthetic pigments in the associated grasses.
