Scientific publications
Séverin Nguemezi Tchameni
Martin Jemo
Raymond Fokom
D. Nwaga
Research Journal of Agriculture and Biological Sciences
1 1 Yaounde, Cameroon. Abstract: Two maize cultivars contrasting on acid stresses, ATP S4.syn Y (acid soil tolerant) and CMS8501 (acid soil sensitive) were grown on aluminium toxic soil with low-P available soil P of southern Cameroon. The objectives were to assess maize cultivar differences for plant growth, P uptake, root colonisation by fungi, and the activity of root phosphatases following inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The experiment was conducted in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangements in a complete randomised block design (RBD). The main factor one was the maize varieties (ATP S4.syn Y and CMS8501) and the second factor, the AMF inoculation consisting of four different levels of AMF application: M0 (no AMF inoculation, M1 (Gigaspora margarita inoculation), M2 (Glomus intraradices inoculation), and M3 (the mixture of M1 and M 2). Data were colleted 14, 28, 42 and 63 days after planting. Significant differences (P< 0.05) were observed between the two maize cultivars for shoot growth, P uptake, the percentage of root colonisation by AMF, and the activity of root phosphatases, ATP S4.syn Y the tolerant cultivar for Al toxicity generally exhibited higher values than CMS8501. AMF inoculation significantly increased all the measured plant parameters. Significant relationships between, shoot dry matter and P uptake, and the acid phosphatase activity, respectively observed particularly for ATP S4.syn Y imply that the induction of specific acid phosphatase exuded by roots, and the efficient P remobilisation for biomass production may account as potential candidate mechanisms for adaptation of a such cultivar into acid and low available P soil of southern Cameroon.
