Potential Piriformospora indica effect on growth and mineral nutrition of Phaseolus vulgaris crop under low phosphorus intake

The aim of this study was the mycorrhizae inoculation effect on production and mineral nutrition of snap bean variety under low phosphorus intake. The experiment was a randomized block design with four treatments: a non-mycorrhizal control, two mycorrhizal strains: Piriformospora indica (Piri), Glomus intraradice (Glomus), and their combined inoculation Piri + Glomus; using ten replicates per treatment. A comparative trial of different treatments on plant growth, yield parameters, mineral absorption and mycorrhizae colonization frequency was conducted in the greenhouse under controlled conditions using autoclaved soil-sand-vermiculite substrate. The inoculation with Piri and co-inoculation with Piri + Glomus significantly increased aerial dry biomass (p ≤ 0.01) and highly increased root dry biomass (p ≤ 0.001). Mycorrhizal snap bean plants showed a significantly higher number of pods, pods dry weight, dry weight of seeds per plant, and percentage of mycorrhizal colonization than non-mycorrhizal plants. Mycorrhizae inoculation increased significantly nitrogen and phosphorus uptake that the inoculation with Piri increased N uptake in roots by 187% and P uptake by 200% compared to the non-inoculated plants. For cations leave incorporation, Piri significantly enhanced Ca2+ by 100%, Mg2+ by 110% and NH4+ by 175% relative to the non-mycorrhizal plants. While mycorrhizal inoculation doesn’t have a significant effect on K+ nutrition. In conclusion, snap bean Contender variety seedling inoculated with Piri proved to be most effective by improving plant growth, mineral nutrition and yield production under low phosphorus uptake.