EFFECT OF GREEN FERTILIZATION WITH LEGUME PLANTS SPECIES IN COFFEE MYCORRHIZATION

Abstract

Mycorrhizae are key elements of sustainability in agricultural systems. Thus, understanding the effect of agroecological practices on mycorrhiza can help to develop more efficient farming techniques in the use of soil resources. The objective of this work was to verify mycorrhizal association in coffee grown in three different systems: full sun without consortia, intercropped with Gliricidia and green manures: “Hyacinth beans” (Dolichos lab lab L) and Jack beans (Canavalia ensiformis). We quantified fungal structures such as hyphae and arbuscules in coffee roots and the presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal spores in soil. Samples of soil and roots were collected in the four systems, with four replicates for determining the percentage of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and spores in 50 g of soil. The highest rate of AMF root colonization was observed in the agroforestry system. We also observed that the monoculture system under full sun presented the highest number of spores. This result indicates that the consortium between coffee and gliricidia favored the establishment of mycorrhizal associations, while the stress caused by monoculture system induced an increase in the number of spores in the soil. Consortia with green manure showed intermediate behavior, which may mean that these systems partially minimize the impacts on a system where the soil is exposed.