Förderung von arbuskulären Mykorrhizapilzen in einer Chenopodiaceae - Mais Fruchtfolge durch Untersaaten

Summary

Crops of the families Brassicaceae or Chenopodiaceae are non-host plants for symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF), and thus the AMF infection potential of the soils decreases after cultivation of these crops similar to a fallow. This study aims to sustain the survival of AMF in a fodder beet (non-host) - maize cropping sequence through undersowing of different host and non-host green manure plant species (GMS). Maize served as indicator plant for potential after-effects of the GMS. As expected the AMF green manure hosts were well colonized by AMF (19 to 36%), while AMF structures in roots of the non-host GMS and beet roots were negligible. The fodder beet yield was not affected by the GMS compared to a GMS free control. Forty days after sowing of AMF compatible maize, there was no significant effect of the different GMS from the previous year on maize biomass, plant height and SPAD values (an indirect measure of chlorophyll). At flowering, maize fresh matter was 10% higher in plots previously undersown by AMF compatible GMS, compared to non-host GMS, although AMF root colonisation of maize was similar in all treatments.