Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 84 (1): 23-31, 2011
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Effectiveness of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi consortia on coffee plants
under greenhouse and field conditions
Seven arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) consortia isolated from coffee
plantations with different agricultural inputs (low, intermediate, and high) at several sites of Veracruz State were tested on
their effects on the growth of coffee plants (Coffea arabica L.) var. Garnica under nursery and field conditions.
Agricultural input influenced the AMF-composition, in which the highest input the lowest number of AMF-species. At
greenhouse conditions, AMFconsortia significantly increased plant height (91 %) in comparison to the control and to the P-
fertilized control (800 mg Ca(PO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub> L<sup>-1</sup>). After 130 days
of inoculation (DAI), the best AMF-consortium was La Estanzuela (ES). At field conditions, after 290 DAI, the plants
inoculated with the consortia ES, Miradores (MI), and Paso Grande (PG) had greater survival (> 80 %). The most
effective AMF-consortia on plant growth promotion and survival under field conditions were collected from intermediate-
input agricultural plantations (MI and ES), which also had the greatest number of AMF-species.
Key words:
coffee crop,
growth, native AMF, plant survival
