Investigation of mycorrhizal effect on agronomic traits and protein percent of corn varieties in Sistan

ABSTRACT This was a study to test effects of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi on corn. The experiment was a factorial, set out as a randomized complete block design with four replications at the Agricultural Research Station, Zahak in the summer of 2010. The experiment considered two factors: the first factor was infections of the fungal species Glomus mossea mycorrhiza in applications with and without inoculation and the second factor was four varieties of corn; SC770, Tisa, SC7020 and SC704. Results showed that infections of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi had significant effects at 1% on plant height, flag leaf width, number of grains per ear and plant protein and flag leaf length at 5% level. Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi had no significant effect on stem diameter, leaf number and 100 seed weight. Interactions of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi demonstrated that only 100 seed weight had a significant effect at 1% and plant height and protein percentage had significant effects at 5% level. But stem diameter, leaf number, flag leaf length, flag leaf width, number of grains per plant had no significant effect.