Concentration of Mycorrhizal at Different Soil Depth of Pinus caribaea Var. Hondurensis Plantation

O., Asinwa, I.; O., Ojo, M.; F., Oyedeji O.; A., Olayiwola V.; A., Adebusuyi G.

doi:10.21608/eajbsh.2025.411702

Concentration of Mycorrhizal at Different Soil Depth of Pinus caribaea Var. Hondurensis Plantation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Rainforest Research Station (RFRS), Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria,Ore, Ondo State, Nigeria.

² Elizabeth Ehi-Ebiewele Biodiversity Linkage Center,Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, Nigeria.

³ Department of Sustainable Forest ManagementForestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, Nigeria.

⁴ Department of Soil and Tree Nutrition,Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, Nigeria.

10.21608/eajbsh.2025.411702

Abstract

Mycorrhizae being a symbiotic association between fungi and plants are more endemic in pine’s plantation rhizosphere, but there is dearth of information on the level of endemism. The study therefore investigated availability of mycorrhizal at different levels of rhizosphere of Pinus caribaea plantation with a view to ascertaining the concentration of mycorrhizal at different soil depth.
Systematic cluster sampling technique was used for the laying of sample plots in an hectare of 25 years old plantation of Pinus caribaea. At the centre of the plantation, a 50 x 50 m main plot was laid and was further divided into temporary sample plots of 10 x 10 m. Five of such temporary plots were located at four corners and centre of the main plot. From each temporary sample plots, five (5) samples were randomly collected from different rhizosphere depths of 0 – 10 cm, >1 0 – 20 cm and > 20 – 30 cm for laboratory analysis of mycorrhizal fungi following standard method. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for differences in microbial and fungi concentrations at different depths using Completely Randomized Design as experimental design. Treatments were three (3) rhizosphere depth (0 – 10 cm, >1 0 – 20 cm and :> 20 – 30 cm.) with five (5) replicates.There were no significant differences (P>0.05) among treatments in Total Aerobic Microbial Count (TAMC) and Total yield and Mold Count (TYMC) of mycorrhizal in the soil samples. More mycorrhizal of TAMC that are too numerous to count were found at soil depth 0 – 10 cm and >1 0 – 20 cm while the highest TYMC was recorded for soil depth > 20 – 30 cm. At the rhizosphere of 25 years old plantation of Pinus caribaea in the FRIN arboretum, mycorrhizal mycelium were readily present at soil depth 0-30cm with more concentration at depth 0- 20cm.

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