Arbuscular mycorrhiza and dark septate endophyte fungal associations of Oryza sativa L. under field condition: colonization features and their occurrence

The present study was aimed to study monthly colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and dark septate endophyte (DSE) fungal associations in rice. The presence of mycorrhizal structures in the roots confirms the colonization by AM fungi. The pattern of hyphae and arbuscules denotes Arum type of AM fungal morphology. The presence of dark coloured septate hyphae running frequently on the epidermal layer and in root cortex and the occurrence of microsclerotia marks the colonization by DSE fungi. The co-occurrence of both AM and DSE fungi ensure dual colonization by two distinct fungal groups. There was significant increase in arbuscules, vesicles and hyphal percentages from first to third month in both the samples collected from two sites. In the third month, AM colonization significantly higher in both the sites. DSE colonization percentages do not differ significantly in first to third month. A total of nine AM fungal species were recovered from two sites. This study is an effort to make aware the local farmers about the usefulness of these native AM mycobiota which can be a preferable choice over chemical fertilizers leading to ecofriendly organic farming