The Effect of Mycorrhizal Fungi and Vermicompost on Growth and Mineral Nutrients Composition of Strawberry Cultivars

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of biological fertilizer and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in four levels (without biological fertilizer, Rhizophagus irregularis, Funneliformis mosseae and vermicompost) on growth and shoot mineral nutrients composition of two strawberry cultivars (Parus and Kurdistan) in factorial experiment based on randomized complete blocks design with three replications in greenhouse conditions. The results showed that the application of vermicompost and AM fungi significantly increased the shoot dry weight of strawberry in comparison to control but there was not a significant difference between two species of AM fungi. Total uptake of nutrients was significantly increased by inoculation of strawberry with AM fungi in comparison to the control but inoculation did not leave significance effect on shoot nutrients concentration. Vermicompost application significantly enhanced the uptake and concentration of phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, and copper compared to control. Dry weight, zinc concentration and uptake, phosphorus, manganese and copper uptake in shoot of Kurdistan cultivar were significantly higher than Parus cultivar but there was not a significant difference between the cultivars in root colonization. Mycorrhizal dependence (Md) percentage by Rhizophagus irregularis was significantly higher in Parus cultivar than Kurdistan cultivar but Md (%) by Funneliformis mosseae in Kurdistan cultivar was higher than Parus cultivar. In conclusion, application of biological fertilizers will increase the growth of strawberry plant through an increased nutrient uptake, in which the role of vermicompost is more pronounced than that of AM fungi due perhaps to the presence of nutrients and useful soil organisms.