Assessment of the Influence of Peach Production Systems on the Quantity and Quality of Root Collinization by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

This work aimed to evaluate changes in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities in soils under different peach production systems in three municipalities in southern Brazil. Root and soil samples were collected in orchards under Integrated Production (IP) and Conventional Production (PB) management on municipal properties for three years. Soil samples of AMF spores were extracted, identified and counted. Root colonization and presence of mycorrhizal structures (hyphae, vesicles and arbuscules) present in the radicle. IP systems have always presented higher colonization levels than PC systems. The municipality of São Jerônimo presented the highest colonization rates in the summer, while Charqueadas presented the highest in the spring, all higher than the municipality of Pelotas. Colonization peaks occurred above 90% in São Jerônimo and Charqueadas for IP, while in Pelotas they did not reach levels above 61%. There were no differences between AMF communities regarding the number of species, between management systems in each production system. The municipality of Charqueadas presented a smaller number of species than Pelotas. The genus Glomus had the largest number of species (9), followed by Acaulospora (7), Scutellospora (2) and Archaeospora, Entrophospora and Gigaspora (1 each). Archaeospora leptoticha and Gigaspora margarita present in 97% of the samples.