Agricultural Science Digest

The tissue cultured banana plant1ets are becoming important planting material in banana cultivation. The tissue cultured banana plantiets though homogenous in growth characters and free from diseases, lacks symbiotic association with VAM fungi as they are grown in most hygenic conditions. Under present investigation, VAM fungi were inoculated at the hardening stage. Amongst the seven species of VAM fungi used, Glomus fasciculatum helped the banana plantiets to accumulate maximum plant height, root length, fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots, root colonization and major nutrients like N, P and K as compared to other species. Acaulospora serobi was more effective in accumulating more of minor elements like Na, Ca and Fe by banana plantiets.