Forms of Inoculant, Shelf-Life Studies and Formulations of Orchid Mycorrhizal Fungi (OMF) Inoculants

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the inoculants in different forms and their shelf-life six months and one year after storage at room temperature using orchid plants such as Dendrobium, Catleya and Vanda as the host plants. The parameters used include height, biomass, leaf area and number of psuedo-bulbs. Formulations of the different inoculants were likewise assessed for their techno-feasibility and viability.Plants inoculated with different forms of inoculants either spawn 1 (rice bran and sawdust) and spawn 2 (rice bran and fern chips) or fruiting bodies stored for 6 months or one year were significantly taller than their uninoculated counterparts. Inoculated plants were generally more vigorous, healthier and produced thicker roots than the uninoculated control. Differences among inoculated plants were insignificant indicating that spawn 1 and spawn 2 were as effective as the fruiting bodies and spores of OMF.Chopped fruiting bodies, mixture of sawdust and spores and spawn were techno-feasible into a tablet form while pulverized fruiting bodies and spores mixed with fine filler could not be formed into tablet. The inoculants in different formulations were still viable 7 months after storage at room temperature.