Cultivar Differences in Plantain Growth Response to Mycorrhizal Inoculant and Effect on Incidence of Plant Parasitic Nematodes

An experiment was set up to investigate the relative mycorrhizal dependence of a Falsehorn and a French plantain cultivars at the Teaching and Research farm of the Federal University of Technology, Akure. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design, all suckers were pared prior to planting and treatment assigned as either inoculated with the mycorrhizal inoculant or not. At 182 days after planting (DAP), aerial and subterranean growth parameters were assessed on plants and soil chemical composition was also analysed. The results showed that mycorrhized plants of either cultivar had better below and above-ground growth. The results also established that Relative Mycorrhizal Dependency (RMD) is, to an extent, cultivar dependent with the French genotype exhibiting better dry matter response. Hence, the cultivation of the French plantain could better be enhanced by mycorrhizal fungi inoculation. The chemical analysis of the soil samples at the end of the study revealed that mycorrhizal fungi inoculation makes for efficient uptake and utilization of nutrients in the soil, most especially phosphorus. Meanwhile, further investigation of the abilities of mycorrhizal fungi to intervene nutrients mobilization processes in this ecosystem is required. Keywords: mycorrhizal fungi, plant parasitic nematodes, plantain genotypes, root health, vegetative growt