Effect of <i>Rhizophagus irregularis</i> on Growth and Quality of <i>Cannabis sativa</i> Seedlings
Ioanna Kakabouki,
Antonios Mavroeidis,
Alexandros Tataridas,
Angeliki Kousta,
Aspasia Efthimiadou,
Stella Karydogianni,
Nikolaos Katsenios,
Ioannis Roussis,
Panayiota Papastylianou
Affiliations
Ioanna Kakabouki
Laboratory of Agronomy, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Antonios Mavroeidis
Laboratory of Agronomy, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Alexandros Tataridas
Laboratory of Agronomy, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Angeliki Kousta
Laboratory of Agronomy, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Aspasia Efthimiadou
Department of Soil Science of Athens, Institute of Soil and Water Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization—Demeter, Sofokli Venizelou 1, Lycovrissi, 14123 Attica, Greece
Stella Karydogianni
Laboratory of Agronomy, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Nikolaos Katsenios
Department of Soil Science of Athens, Institute of Soil and Water Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization—Demeter, Sofokli Venizelou 1, Lycovrissi, 14123 Attica, Greece
Ioannis Roussis
Laboratory of Agronomy, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Panayiota Papastylianou
Laboratory of Agronomy, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Rhizophagus irregularis is an arbuscular mycorrhiza fungus that can enhance plant nutrition and reduce transplant shock on seedlings. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of this fungus on the quality of cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) seedlings. A greenhouse float system experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three treatments. The treatments included the application of 40, 80 and 120 fungus spores per L of nutrient solution (AMF1, AMF2 and AMF3, respectively). The evaluation was performed based on the agronomic characteristics of the seedlings (root and stem length and weight, stem diameter), N and P content, survival rate, and the Dickson’s quality index (DQI). Results indicated that root length and stem dry weight were significantly increased (by 34.14% and 21.4%, respectively) in the AMF3 treatment. The biomass of the seedlings’ roots, the fresh weight and the N content were not affected by the AMF. On the contrary, survival rate, P content and DQI were significantly increased in AMF3 (by 5%, 24.3% and 12.4% respectively). Overall, our findings suggest that the application of high doses of Rhizophagus irregularis (AMF3) on float system-produced cannabis seedlings results in a considerable increment of their quality.
