Coffea canephora (Pierre) ex Froehner INOCULATED WITH MYCORRHIZAE AND NITROGEN FIXING BACTERIA IN NURSERY

Abstract

This study was conducted from November 2012 to May 2013 to evaluate the effect of inoculating<em> C. canephora</em> with <em>Rhizophagus intraradices</em> and / or<em> Azospirillum brasilense</em> in two substrates in nursery on some morphological and physiological yield components and to determine the amount of phosphorus in plant tissue and quantify mycorrhizal colonization. Soil used was mollic Andosol and two prepared substrates: one was soil and river sand and the other was soil plus 30% coffee pulp (1:1 v / v) in five-kg capacity plastic bags. Treatments were the control,<em> Rhizophagus intraradices, Azospirillum brasilense</em> and a combination of the two on each substrate, giving a total of eight treatments in a split plot in randomized block design with five replications. Samples were taken every 28 days to assess morphological and physiological variables and mycorrhizal colonization and phosphorus content during 140 days after transplant (dat). The results show that inoculation of <em>C. canephora</em> in nursery with either of the microorganisms individually favored growth and dry matter accumulation in morphological and physiological yield components relative to the control. <em>A. brasilense</em> promoted greater biomass accumulation during the evaluation and <em>R. intraradices</em> at the end of the study. R. intraradices increased phosphorus content in the tissue of plants, and higher mycorrhizal colonization was found in the first third of the root when inoculated with <em>R. intraradices</em>.