Mycorrhizae-inoculated vegetable seedling production and use in field experiments for ecological farming

Under semi-arid soil conditions, soils are poor in nutrient availability due to the high clay and lime content and high pH; hence, mycorrhizal inoculation is a good strategy for sustainable agriculture. As it is still very difficult to produce a large quantity of mycorrhizal inoculum for a large area, it is reasonable to produce mycorrhizal-inoculated seedlings, which are then transplanted to the field. In order to investigate the effect of mycorrhizal inoculation (Glomus mosseae) techniques on plant yield and nutrient uptake of several horticultural plants, field experiments were conducted using a selected Menzilat soil series (Entic Chromoxerert), located in the Research Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Cukurova, (eastern Mediterranean region) Turkey. Two growth pot sizes and two inoculation technique combinations consisting of six horticultural plants were replicated three times in a factorial randomized block design. The pure culture of G. mosseae was maintained and multiplied with sorghum under glasshouse conditions. Pepper, eggplant, tomato, cucumber, melon and watermelon seedlings were produced in different growth media, comprised of different composting material with several mycorrhizal species. Seedlings were produced using different techniques. Mycorrhizal-inoculated and non-inoculated seedlings were grown under field conditions using different inoculation techniques. The experiments revealed that under field conditions, mycorrhiza-inoculated seedlings are effectively established and result in high plant growth and yield. The results also revealed that for both techniques, plant yields were higher and mycorrhizal-inoculated plants produced more yield than non-mycorrhizal plants. The results showed that mycorrhizal-inoculated plants had higher P and Zn content than non-inoculated plants, but immersed mycorrhizal-inoculated plants had higher P concentration compared with granular application. We conclude that seedling quality is dependent on growth medium and mycorrhizal spore effectiveness. Furthermore, using mycorrhizal-inoculated seedlings appears to be a good strategy for horticultural production. © 2019 International Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved