Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal diversity in some important ethnomedicinal plants of Western Himalaya

In the present study diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was analyzed in seven important ethnomedicinal plants viz. Trillium govanianum Wall. ex D. Don, Bergenia ciliata (Haw.) Sternb., Leucas lanata Wall ex. Benth, Rumex obtusifolius L., Justicia adhatoda Nees, Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton and Acorus calamus L. The AMF diversity in rhizosphere and in the roots was investigated and reported for the first time in L. lanata, R. obtusifolius, T. govanianum and B. ciliata of district Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India in the western Himalaya. Maximum mycorrhizal spore count was observed in the rhizosphere of P. frutescens. The most predominant genus was Glomus with fifteen species followed by Acaulospora, Gigaspora, Scutellospora, Entrophospora and Sclerocystis.