Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt in Southern Nigeria.
Main Article Content
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important obligate symbionts of most cultivated plant species, colonizing roots and supporting plant growth. This study was carried out to identify indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spores in selected farms behind the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Three test crops namely: cassava, maize, fluted pumpkin were selected for this study while Pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) was a Control. Rhizosphere soil and root sub-samples were collected per crop from topsoil (0 – 15 cm) and subsoil (15 – 30 cm). The collected soils were prepared and subjected to various analyses to determine soil physicochemical properties. Wet sieving and decanting method were employed for extraction of spores while slide method was used for estimation of degree of colonization. Spore taxonomic identification was conducted by comparison with reference descriptions from the International Culture Collection of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (INVAM). Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using XLSTAT 2022 version package. Ecological indices: Relative Spore Density (RD), Relative Isolation Frequency (RIF), and Importance Value (IV), were calculated. The results showed that six genera: Glomus, Acaulospora, Gigaspora, Entrophospora, Paraglomus and Scutteslopora were identified. The Soil pH of the entire study area (range = 5.93 to 6.35) falls within the suitable pH range for AMF distribution. The exchangeable cations, soil pH, available phosphorus, potassium, clay content; were among the main factors responsible for the variation in AMF community structure. The percentage root colonization (%) among the crops are as follows: maize (51.94), cassava (48.46), fluted pumpkin (42.93) and control (15.63). Generally, the root mycorrhizal colonization degree and spore density were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in topsoil (41.63 and 21.09) than subsoil (8.74 and 6.48) across all identified genera. The superiority of Glomus in soils may be related to its functional relevance and ease of propagation in soil ecosystem. AMF source of biofertilizer could be adopted as alternative source of soil amendment for cultivation of crops especially maize, cassava and fluted pumpkin which are staple food in the sampled location.
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Anozie, H. I., & Okereke , V. C. (2026). Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt in Southern Nigeria. The Bioscientist Journal, 14(2), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.54117/the_bioscientist.v14i2.212
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References
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Atijegbe, S, R; Nuga, B.O.; Lale, N. E.S.; Nwanna, R.O (2013). The growth of cucumber (cucumis sativus L.) in the humid tropics and the incidence of insect pests as affected by organic and inorganic fertilizer. Journal of applied science and Agriculture vol 8 No 7 pp 1172 – 1178
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Bhardwaj, D., Mohammad, W. A., Ranjan, S., & Narendra, T. (2014): Biofertilizers function as key player in sustainable agriculture by improving soil fertility, plant tolerance and crop productivity. Microbial Cell Factories 13, 66 - 77 doi:10.1186/1475-2859-13-66
Bi, Y., Xie, L., Wang, J., Zhang, Y., & Wang, K. (2019) Impact of host plants, slope position and subsidence on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in the coal mining area of north-central China. Journal of Arid Environment, 163,68–76.
Bray, R.H., & Kurtz, L.T. (1945). Determination of Total Organic and Available Forms of Phosphorous in Soils. Soil Science Journal 59, 39-45
Brundrett, M. & Kendrick, B. (1990). The roots and mycorrhizas of herbaceous woodland plants. II. Structural aspects of morphology. New Phytologist 114, 469-479.
Brundrett, M.C., Piche, Y., & Peterson, L. (1994). A new method for observing the morphology of Vescular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza. Canadian Journal of Botany, 62, 2128-2134.
Chen, K., Weixin, L, Shaoxia, G., Runjin, L. & Min, L. (2012) Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in continuous cropping soils used for pepper production. African Journal of Microbiology Research, 6(10), 2469-2474, DOI: 10.5897/AJMR11.1532
Da Silva, G.A.; Trufem, S.F.B.; Saggin Júnior, O.J.; Maia, L.C. (2004) Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a semiarid copper mining area in Brazil. Mycorrhiza 15, 47–53.
Eason, W.R.; Scullion, J. & Scot, E.P. (1999). Soil parameter sand plant responses associated with arbuscularmycorrhizas from contrasting grassland management regimes. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Envir onments73: 245-255.
Fageria, N.K. & Baligar, V.C. (2008) Ameliorating soil acidity of tropical oxisols by liming for sustainable crop production. Advanced Agronomy. 99, 345–99.
Gai, J.P., Feng, G., & Li, X. L. (2004) Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in field soils from North China. Journal of Biodiversity Science. 12, 435–440.
Gaur, A., & Adholeya, A. (1994). Estimation of VAM spores in the soil - a modified method. Mycorrhiza News, 6, 10-11.
Giovannetti, M., & Mosse, B. (1980). An evaluation of techniques for measuring vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal infection in roots. New Phytologist, 84, 489-500.
Graham, J.H., Leonard, R.T., & Menge, J.A. (1981). Membrane mediated decrease in root exudation responsible for phosphorus inhibition of vesicular—arbuscular mycorrhiza formation. Plant Physiology. 68, 548-552.
Guo, X., & Gong, J. (2014) Differential effects of abiotic factors and host plant traits on diversity and community composition of root-colonizing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a salt-stressed ecosystem. Mycorrhiza, 24, 79–94.
Gupta, M.L., Prasad, A, Ram, .M, & Kumar, S. (2002). Effect of the vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungus Glomus fasciculatum on the essential oil yield related characters and nutrient acquisition in the crops of different cultivars of menthol mint (Mentha arvensis) under field conditions. Bioresources Technology, 81, 77-79.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2013.793453
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (1979) Selected methods for soil and plant analysis. Manual Series No. 1, Ibadan. INVAM (2005) website. http://invam.caf.wvu.Edu/fungi/taxonomy/classification.html.
Kamal, P. & K. Prasad. (1995) Physico-chemical characteristic of soil in relation to VAM (Glomus fasciculatum) colonization in Saccharum officinarum. Journal of Phytological Research, 8(2): 201-205.
Li, H., Chen, Q., & Zhao, J. (2024). Synergy between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and rhizosphere bacteria increases utilization of insoluble phosphorus in soil by maize. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 72(42), 23631–23642
Malavolta, E. (1980). Soil as as supplier of nutrients. Pp.16 – 43. In: Mineral nutrition elements of plants. E. Malavolta (ed.). Sao Paulo, EDitora Ceres
Muthukumar, T., Udaiyan. K., & Manian, S. (1994) Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza in tropical sedges of southern India. Biology and Fertility of Soils 22, 96–100
Nasrullah, M. Sharief I, Robina, K. & Burni, T. (2010). Occurrence and distribution of AMF in wheat and Maize crops of Malakand Division of North west Frontier Province. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 42(2), 1301-1312
Nelson, D.W. & Sommer, L.E. (1982) Total Organic Carbon and Organic Matter. Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2. Chemical and Microbiological Properties, 2nd Edition. ASA-SSSA, Madison, 595-579.
Olayode, A. P., Wu, Y., Chen, C., & Wang, G. (2024). Inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improves plant biomass and nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients: A meta-analysis. BMC Plant Biology, 24, 960
Pagliarani I, Grassi A, Agnolucci M, Turrini A, Avio L and Giovannetti M (2025) The nonhost mycorrhizal status of weeds and its relevance to weed management in agroecology. Front. Agron. 7:1601329. doi: 10.3389/fagro.2025.1601329
Pande, M., & Tarafdar, J.F. (2004). Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungal diversity in Neem based Agroforestry Systems in Rajistan. Applied Soil Ecology, 26: 233-241.
Phillips, I. M., & Hayman, D. S. (1970). Improved procedure for clearing roots and staining of mycorrhizal fungi for rapid assessment of infection. Transactions of British Mycological Society, 55, 158-161.
Porter, W.M., & Robson, L.K. (1987). Field survey of the distribution of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in relation to soil pH. Journal of Applied Ecology 24, 659 – 662
Rodriguez, P. A., Rothballer, M., & Chowdhury, S. P. (2019). Systems biology of plant–microbiome interactions. Molecular Plant, 12(6), 804–821
Saif, S.R. (1981). The influence of soil aeration on the efficiency of vesicular- arbuscular mycorrhiza. I. Effect of soil oxygen on the growth and mineral uptake of Eupatorium odoratum L. inoculated with Glomus macrocarpus. New Phytologist 88: 649-659.
Sharif, M., T. Burni & Saima. (2005). Arbuscular mycorrhizal incidence and infectivity in wheat and Maize crops of Bannu and D.I. Khan areas, Pakistan. Pakistan. Journal of Plant Science., 11(1): 67-77.
Sparks, D. L. (2003). Environmental soil chemistry (2nd ed.). Academic Press.
Turner, B. L., Frossard, E., & Baldwin, D. S. (2015). Innovative methods in soil phosphorus research: A review. Advances in Agronomy, 130, 1–59.
Udo, E.J., Ibia T.O., Ogunwale J.A., Ano A.A. & Esu I. E. (2009). Manual of soil, plant and water analysis. Sibon Book Limited, Lagos pp :82 - 92
Wang, J.P., Wang, G.G., Zhang, B., Yuan, Z., Fu, Z., Yuan, Y., Zhu, L., Ma, S., Zhang, J. (2019) Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with tree species in a planted forest of eastern China. Forests, 10, 424.
Weissenhorn I, Leyval C (1996). Spore germination of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in soils differing in heavy metal content and other parameters. European Journal of Soil Biology. 32:165-172.
Wilson, A.J. & Robards, A.W. (1978). Some observations of the effects of mechanical impedance upon the ultrastructure of the root’s caps of barley. Protoplasma 101, 61-72.
Wu, Q.S, Cao, M.Q, Zou, Y.N & He, X.H. (2014). Direct and indirect effects of glomalin, mycorrhizal hyphae, and roots on aggregate stability in rhizosphere of trifoliate orange. Sci Rep. 4.
Wu, Q.S., He, X.H., Zou, Y.N., He, K.P., Sun, Y.H., & Cao, M.Q. (2012) Spatial distribution of glomalin-related soil protein and its relationships with root mycorrhization, soil aggregates, carbohydrates, activity of protease and β-glucosidase in the rhizosphere of Citrus unshiu. Soil Biology &. Biochemistry. 45, 181–183.
Xu, X., Chen, C., Zhang, Z., Sun, Z., Chen, Y., Jiang, J., & Shen, Z. (2017). The influence of environmental factors on communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Chenopodium ambrosioides revealed by MiSeq sequencing investigation. Science. Reporter. 7, 56-67
Ye, C., Zheng, G., Tao, Y., Xu, Y., Chu, G., Xu, C., Chen, S., Liu, Y., Zhang, X., & Wang, D. (2024). Effect of soil texture on soil nutrient status and rice nutrient absorption in paddy soils. Agronomy, 14(6), 1339.
Zhang, L., Wang, X., & Liu, Y. (2025). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance soybean phosphorus uptake and soil fertility under saline-alkaline stress. Scientific Reports 15, 31792 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15910-z
Akpan, I. J., Obi, J.C. & Jakonde, D.C. (2020). “Scientometric Evaluation and Visual Analytics of the Scientific Literature Production on Entrepreneurship, Small Business Ventures, and Innovation.” Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship: 1–29. doi:10.1080/08276331.2020.1786229.
Anozie, H., Ukoha, O. and Okereke, Victor. (2025). Influence of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on performance of Amaranthus viridis cultivated in water-stressed soil. Journal of Plant Biota, 4, 71-75.
Atijegbe, S, R; Nuga, B.O.; Lale, N. E.S.; Nwanna, R.O (2013). The growth of cucumber (cucumis sativus L.) in the humid tropics and the incidence of insect pests as affected by organic and inorganic fertilizer. Journal of applied science and Agriculture vol 8 No 7 pp 1172 – 1178
Bennie, J. (1996). Plant roots - the hidden half. In: Y. Waisel; A. Eshel & V. Kafkafi (eds.). New York Journal. 2, 453- 470.
Bhardwaj, D., Mohammad, W. A., Ranjan, S., & Narendra, T. (2014): Biofertilizers function as key player in sustainable agriculture by improving soil fertility, plant tolerance and crop productivity. Microbial Cell Factories 13, 66 - 77 doi:10.1186/1475-2859-13-66
Bi, Y., Xie, L., Wang, J., Zhang, Y., & Wang, K. (2019) Impact of host plants, slope position and subsidence on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in the coal mining area of north-central China. Journal of Arid Environment, 163,68–76.
Bray, R.H., & Kurtz, L.T. (1945). Determination of Total Organic and Available Forms of Phosphorous in Soils. Soil Science Journal 59, 39-45
Brundrett, M. & Kendrick, B. (1990). The roots and mycorrhizas of herbaceous woodland plants. II. Structural aspects of morphology. New Phytologist 114, 469-479.
Brundrett, M.C., Piche, Y., & Peterson, L. (1994). A new method for observing the morphology of Vescular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza. Canadian Journal of Botany, 62, 2128-2134.
Chen, K., Weixin, L, Shaoxia, G., Runjin, L. & Min, L. (2012) Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in continuous cropping soils used for pepper production. African Journal of Microbiology Research, 6(10), 2469-2474, DOI: 10.5897/AJMR11.1532
Da Silva, G.A.; Trufem, S.F.B.; Saggin Júnior, O.J.; Maia, L.C. (2004) Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a semiarid copper mining area in Brazil. Mycorrhiza 15, 47–53.
Eason, W.R.; Scullion, J. & Scot, E.P. (1999). Soil parameter sand plant responses associated with arbuscularmycorrhizas from contrasting grassland management regimes. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Envir onments73: 245-255.
Fageria, N.K. & Baligar, V.C. (2008) Ameliorating soil acidity of tropical oxisols by liming for sustainable crop production. Advanced Agronomy. 99, 345–99.
Gai, J.P., Feng, G., & Li, X. L. (2004) Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in field soils from North China. Journal of Biodiversity Science. 12, 435–440.
Gaur, A., & Adholeya, A. (1994). Estimation of VAM spores in the soil - a modified method. Mycorrhiza News, 6, 10-11.
Giovannetti, M., & Mosse, B. (1980). An evaluation of techniques for measuring vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal infection in roots. New Phytologist, 84, 489-500.
Graham, J.H., Leonard, R.T., & Menge, J.A. (1981). Membrane mediated decrease in root exudation responsible for phosphorus inhibition of vesicular—arbuscular mycorrhiza formation. Plant Physiology. 68, 548-552.
Guo, X., & Gong, J. (2014) Differential effects of abiotic factors and host plant traits on diversity and community composition of root-colonizing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a salt-stressed ecosystem. Mycorrhiza, 24, 79–94.
Gupta, M.L., Prasad, A, Ram, .M, & Kumar, S. (2002). Effect of the vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungus Glomus fasciculatum on the essential oil yield related characters and nutrient acquisition in the crops of different cultivars of menthol mint (Mentha arvensis) under field conditions. Bioresources Technology, 81, 77-79.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2013.793453
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (1979) Selected methods for soil and plant analysis. Manual Series No. 1, Ibadan. INVAM (2005) website. http://invam.caf.wvu.Edu/fungi/taxonomy/classification.html.
Kamal, P. & K. Prasad. (1995) Physico-chemical characteristic of soil in relation to VAM (Glomus fasciculatum) colonization in Saccharum officinarum. Journal of Phytological Research, 8(2): 201-205.
Li, H., Chen, Q., & Zhao, J. (2024). Synergy between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and rhizosphere bacteria increases utilization of insoluble phosphorus in soil by maize. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 72(42), 23631–23642
Malavolta, E. (1980). Soil as as supplier of nutrients. Pp.16 – 43. In: Mineral nutrition elements of plants. E. Malavolta (ed.). Sao Paulo, EDitora Ceres
Muthukumar, T., Udaiyan. K., & Manian, S. (1994) Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza in tropical sedges of southern India. Biology and Fertility of Soils 22, 96–100
Nasrullah, M. Sharief I, Robina, K. & Burni, T. (2010). Occurrence and distribution of AMF in wheat and Maize crops of Malakand Division of North west Frontier Province. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 42(2), 1301-1312
Nelson, D.W. & Sommer, L.E. (1982) Total Organic Carbon and Organic Matter. Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2. Chemical and Microbiological Properties, 2nd Edition. ASA-SSSA, Madison, 595-579.
Olayode, A. P., Wu, Y., Chen, C., & Wang, G. (2024). Inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improves plant biomass and nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients: A meta-analysis. BMC Plant Biology, 24, 960
Pagliarani I, Grassi A, Agnolucci M, Turrini A, Avio L and Giovannetti M (2025) The nonhost mycorrhizal status of weeds and its relevance to weed management in agroecology. Front. Agron. 7:1601329. doi: 10.3389/fagro.2025.1601329
Pande, M., & Tarafdar, J.F. (2004). Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungal diversity in Neem based Agroforestry Systems in Rajistan. Applied Soil Ecology, 26: 233-241.
Phillips, I. M., & Hayman, D. S. (1970). Improved procedure for clearing roots and staining of mycorrhizal fungi for rapid assessment of infection. Transactions of British Mycological Society, 55, 158-161.
Porter, W.M., & Robson, L.K. (1987). Field survey of the distribution of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in relation to soil pH. Journal of Applied Ecology 24, 659 – 662
Rodriguez, P. A., Rothballer, M., & Chowdhury, S. P. (2019). Systems biology of plant–microbiome interactions. Molecular Plant, 12(6), 804–821
Saif, S.R. (1981). The influence of soil aeration on the efficiency of vesicular- arbuscular mycorrhiza. I. Effect of soil oxygen on the growth and mineral uptake of Eupatorium odoratum L. inoculated with Glomus macrocarpus. New Phytologist 88: 649-659.
Sharif, M., T. Burni & Saima. (2005). Arbuscular mycorrhizal incidence and infectivity in wheat and Maize crops of Bannu and D.I. Khan areas, Pakistan. Pakistan. Journal of Plant Science., 11(1): 67-77.
Sparks, D. L. (2003). Environmental soil chemistry (2nd ed.). Academic Press.
Turner, B. L., Frossard, E., & Baldwin, D. S. (2015). Innovative methods in soil phosphorus research: A review. Advances in Agronomy, 130, 1–59.
Udo, E.J., Ibia T.O., Ogunwale J.A., Ano A.A. & Esu I. E. (2009). Manual of soil, plant and water analysis. Sibon Book Limited, Lagos pp :82 - 92
Wang, J.P., Wang, G.G., Zhang, B., Yuan, Z., Fu, Z., Yuan, Y., Zhu, L., Ma, S., Zhang, J. (2019) Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with tree species in a planted forest of eastern China. Forests, 10, 424.
Weissenhorn I, Leyval C (1996). Spore germination of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in soils differing in heavy metal content and other parameters. European Journal of Soil Biology. 32:165-172.
Wilson, A.J. & Robards, A.W. (1978). Some observations of the effects of mechanical impedance upon the ultrastructure of the root’s caps of barley. Protoplasma 101, 61-72.
Wu, Q.S, Cao, M.Q, Zou, Y.N & He, X.H. (2014). Direct and indirect effects of glomalin, mycorrhizal hyphae, and roots on aggregate stability in rhizosphere of trifoliate orange. Sci Rep. 4.
Wu, Q.S., He, X.H., Zou, Y.N., He, K.P., Sun, Y.H., & Cao, M.Q. (2012) Spatial distribution of glomalin-related soil protein and its relationships with root mycorrhization, soil aggregates, carbohydrates, activity of protease and β-glucosidase in the rhizosphere of Citrus unshiu. Soil Biology &. Biochemistry. 45, 181–183.
Xu, X., Chen, C., Zhang, Z., Sun, Z., Chen, Y., Jiang, J., & Shen, Z. (2017). The influence of environmental factors on communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Chenopodium ambrosioides revealed by MiSeq sequencing investigation. Science. Reporter. 7, 56-67
Ye, C., Zheng, G., Tao, Y., Xu, Y., Chu, G., Xu, C., Chen, S., Liu, Y., Zhang, X., & Wang, D. (2024). Effect of soil texture on soil nutrient status and rice nutrient absorption in paddy soils. Agronomy, 14(6), 1339.
Zhang, L., Wang, X., & Liu, Y. (2025). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance soybean phosphorus uptake and soil fertility under saline-alkaline stress. Scientific Reports 15, 31792 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15910-z