Occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi spores in soils of some legumes and their response to varying concentrations of phosphorus application

A potted experiment arranged in a 5 × 3 factorial in a randomized complete block design was undertaken to investigate the occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the soil of five leguminous plants: (L.) Huth, Martius ex Benth, G. Don, (L.) Sweet and (L.) DC. The effects of varying phosphorus concentrations (P0) (0 kg/ha of single superphosphate), P1 (100 kg/ha of single superphosphate) and P2 (200 kg/ha of single superphosphate) on the population of AMF spores under these legumes were also carried out. The AMF spores in soil samples were extracted at 19 weeks after planting, using the wet sieving and decanting method, and enumerated with the aid of a stereoscopic microscope. Spores of different species of genera and were encountered in the soils of the five leguminous plants. Spores of species predominated while the spores of species were found in lower numbers. The total AMF population was significantly affected by legume species ( ≤ 0.05). The total AMF spore counts were higher in the soils of and ( ≤ 0.05). The populations of in soils decreased with increasing level of applied phosphorus ( ≤ 0.05). A positive correlation was recorded between the total AMF spores, the predominant AMF spores and soil pH, while the organic matter content and the available phosphorus were negatively correlated with both the total AM spores and the predominant AMF spores.