Comparison of Synthetic Versus Organic Herbicides/Insecticides on Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Abelmoschus Esculentus.

COMPARISON OF SYNTHETIC VERSUS ORGANIC HERBICIDES/INSECTICIDES ON ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI IN ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS

Ariel Freidenreich, Pushpa Soti and Krish Jayachandran

Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial role in improving the growth of a vast majority of plants, including agricultural crops. Past researchers have shown that agricultural practices have a significant effect on the diversity and density of AMF. Agricultural practices in conventional farms such as use of fertilizers, pesticides, tillage, and monocultures are reported to be detrimental to AMF compared to low input agriculture systems. Additionally, AMF are reported to enhance plant nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, and soil aggregate formation which are key aspects of productive low-input farming. The differences in plant growth and status of AMF from these two systems will be analyzed by growing a host crop plant inoculated with AMF spores. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of four pesticides on the ability of AMF to colonize the roots of okra plants. The pesticides being tested include two synthetic chemicals (glyphosate and carbaryl) and two organic chemicals (neem oil and citrus oil).  The tested parameters include crop yield, plant biomass, leaf matter CNP, and the percentage of mycorrhizal colonization in roots. The results of this study show that the organic chemicals had no significant effect on AMF colonization while the synthetic chemicals did have somewhat of a negative effect on colonization. Results from this study provide a better understanding of how chemical herbicides, insecticides, and their organic alternatives affect soil microbiological communities and overall plant productivity.