Growth and Nutrient Acquisition of Peach Plants CV. Maciel Grafted on CV. Okinawa Inoculated with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Under Polyhouse Conditions

The study aimed to analyze the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the acquisition of macronutrients, formation of reserve substances and vegetative growth of peach plants cv. Maciel grafted onto rootstocks of cv. Okinawa. The experiment lasted 240 days after grafting, when height (cm), diameter (mm), leaf area (cm²/plant), fresh and dry biomass (g), macronutrient content (% of plant) and reserve substances (% of plant) were evaluated. The experimental design was randomized block, consisting of 4 blocks with 4 plots per block, representative of each AMF treatment in each block, and 15 plants per plot, conducted in a controlled-environment polyhouse. The results obtained were subjected to analysis of variance using the SAS program and compared using the Duncan test, at a significance level of 5%. Correlations were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r = 1 and r = -1).The plants were inoculated with the species Acaulospora sp., Glomus clarum and G. etunicatum and compared with non-inoculated control plants. All plants inoculated with AMF showed higher growth parameters, when compared with the control, with Acaulospora sp. promoting the best responses, while G. clarum and G. etunicatum induced superior growth than the control. Inoculated plants also showed greater absorption of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and greater formation of reserves, when compared with the control. The use of AMF from vineyards benefits plants of the Maciel cultivar grafted onto the Okinawa cultivar, accelerating their vegetative development and improving their nutritional status, especially when inoculated with the species Acaulospora sp.