Effect of Dung, Leaf Litter and Urea on Growth of VA Mycorrhizae in Lens culinaris Medik. CV. Massur 95 Grown under Field Conditions

In the present study, the effects of dung, leaf litter and urea were examined in the development of mycorrhizal associations under field conditions in Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) cv. masur 95. Various growth parameters, fresh and dry weights of the plant, root-length and shoot-length were determined. In the final yield, the percentage of general infection, number of arbuscules, number of vesicles, number of pods per plant, as well as the number of seeds per plant, 100 seeds weight were recorded over a period of six weeks to ascertain the effects of the mycorrhizal associations. The control plot (To) showed normal growth while experimental plot, especially amended with leaf litter (T2), showed the greatest mycorrhizal infection as compared to the soils amended with urea (T3) and dung (T1). This is because urea and dung contain high amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus which suppress the mycorrhizal infection that is why the plots T3 and T1 showed stunted growth. The number of arbuscules was maximum during vegetative growth, i.e., elongation and branching. Similarly, vesicles were less at the initial and the final stage but high at the stage of flowering.