Influence of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (VAM) on Growth of Ruta graveolens ? A Medicinal Plant

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi on growth of Ruta graveolens. The plants were inoculated with Glomus mosseae, Glomus fasciculatum and both. Morphological characters, plant height, root length and no. of compounds leaves were observed periodically up to 90 days after the treatment. After 90 days plants were analyzed for the shoot fresh weight, dry weight, root fresh weight, dry weight and total plant biomass. After 90 days the maximum shoot height 33.6cm was observed in GM+GF treated plants and minimum height 22.6cm was observed in control. The maximum root length 14.3cm was observed in GM+GF plants and minimum 8.4 cm in control. Maximum compound leaves 27 numbers were observed in Glomus mosseae + Glomus fasciculatum treated plants, followed by Glomus fasciculatum (26.8 no. ) and Glomus mosseae (26.7no) treated plants and minimum in control (18.5no). The maximum plant biomass (45.4g/plant) was found in Glomus mosseae + Glomus fasciculatum treated plants, followed by Glomus fasciculatum treated plant (44.9 g/plant. ) and Glomus mosseae treated plant (44.8 g/plant) and minimum in control (27.5g/plant). Maximum shoot fresh weight (43.6g) was observed in the Glomus mosseae + Glomus fasciculatum treated plants, followed by Glomus fasciculatum treated plant (43.1g) and Glomus mosseae treated plant (43.0g) and minimum in control 26.3g. In the similar fashion dry weight of shoot, fresh weight of root and dry weight of root was reported. Glomus mosseae + Glomus fasciculatum exhibited the more positive effect on plant growth.