Influence of Agrosystems on the Diversity of Mycorrhizae under Plantain Banana Cultivation in the Forest Region of Kisangani (Tshopo Province, DR Congo)
D. Kasaka *
Department of General Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Management of Renewable Natural Resources, Pedology Laboratory, University of Kisangani, DR Congo.
O. Onautshu
Department of Biotechnology Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Kisangani, DR Congo.
K. Muliwambene
Department of General Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Management of Renewable Natural Resources, Pedology Laboratory, University of Kisangani, DR Congo.
B. Lebisabo
Department of Biotechnology Sciences, Center of Biodiversity Surveillance (CBS), University of Kisangani, DR Congo.
G. Katho
Department of General Agricultural Sciences, Center of Multidisciplinary Research of Bunia, DR Congo.
G. Baert
Department of Environment, Faculty of Bio-engineering Sciences, University of Gent (UGent), Belgium.
R. Swennen
Department of Biosystems, Faculty of Bio-engineering, Katholieke Universiteit of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Kampala, Uganda.
G. Haesaert
Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bio-engineering Sciences, University of Gent (UGent), Belgium.
D. Dhed'a
Department of Biotechnology Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Kisangani, DR Congo.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The largest genetic diversity of plantain banana (Musa AAB subgroup) is found by DRCongo. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are synergistic beneficial organisms with a positive effect on growth vigor. We determined the influence of plantain banana-based agrosystems on the diversity of AMF in agroforestry and home-garden field systems located in the Kisangani region of DR Congo. Soil samples of the different agrosystems showed a high mycorrhizal frequency (82.5%) with an overall mycorrhizal rate of 33.43%. Vigorous plantain plants are growing in soils that rich in AMF spores whereas non vigorous ones were found in soils that had few AMF spores. There were also significant differences between cultivars, in terms of the number of spores. Glomus was the most abundant genus followed by Gigaspora, Acaulospora, Scutellospora and Entrophospora. The diversity indices evaluated, richness, abundance and Shannon_H showed non-significant difference between agroforestry and home-garden plantains. However, agroforestry plantains showed a larger Inv-Simpson and Equitability-J index than home-garden plantains. Soil physico-chemical characteristics had an effect on abundance of mycorrhizal genera in all inventoried mycorrhizal taxa.
Keywords: Agrosystems, Kisangani, mycorrhizae, plantain banana, vigor