Effect of Mycorrhizal Inoculation on Biomass Productivity of Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and Big Bluestem ( Andropogon gerardii Vitman)
Abstract
Utilizing Warm Season Perennial Grasses (WSPG) under degraded land conditions allows biomass production to provide a means of alternating using land for food versus land for fuel. One approach for the enhancement of biomass productivity on degraded land is by inoculating WSPG with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). A set of studies focused on the enhancement of biomass productivity of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and big bluestem ( Andropogon gerardii Vitman) utilizing substrate inoculation with AMF species of Glomus clarum (Gc) and Glomus intraradices (Gi). Two pH levels of 6.5 and 4.5 were used due to predictions of expanding global acidification of arable lands. After 12 weeks, the harvested switchgrass (SG) grown in a soilless substrate consisting of a defined media, fertilized with a modified Hoagland solution with reduced phosphorus content, produced 62.3cm tall tillers and 1.1g shoot biomass when uninoculated compared to 71.1cm tall tillers and 5.0g shoot biomass when inoculated with Gi. Uninoculated BB produced 31.4cm tillers and a shoot biomass of 0.4g compared to 43.4cm tall tillers and a shoot biomass of 2.8g when inoculated with Gi. However, BB produced significantly greater biomass when inoculated with Gc than with Gi. Experimental results suggest AMF possesses the ability to enhance biomass productivity of both SG and BB. With the enhancement of BB by AMF, BB possesses the ability to complement SG as a bioenergy source.
Subject Area
Agriculture|Soil sciences|Environmental science
Recommended Citation
Virginia Christine Moore,
"Effect of Mycorrhizal Inoculation on Biomass Productivity of Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and Big Bluestem ( Andropogon gerardii Vitman)"
(2015).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI1592030.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI1592030