Arbuscular mycorrhizal-forming fungi and plant growth-promoting bacteria in cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.)

Abstract

The cape gooseberry crop (Physalis peruviana L.) is significant in Colombia due to the production and export of fruit. One of the main limitations in crop productivity is associated with susceptibility to vascular wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. physali (Foph). This study aimed to evaluate using Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Forming Fungi (AMF) individually and in a mixture with a bioproduct based on Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) to mitigate the disease and improve crop productivity. In a validation trial in demonstration plots with nine treatments corresponding to three materials (Agricultor, Comercial, and Dorada) and three inoculations (1. HFMA: Rhizoglomus irregulare and Acaulospora mellea, 2. HFMA + PGPB: Natibac® - Bacillus subtillis and 3. Control: No inoculation), evaluations of fruit production, incidence and severity of vascular wilt were carried out in plots of cape gooseberry crop in the municipality of Ubaté, Cundinamarca. The results allowed correlating crop production variables and disease severity, obtaining promising results with positive correlations between the use of HFMA + BPCV on fruit production and quality (% export) and negative correlations between disease severity and inoculation with HFMA, which reflects the potential of these microorganisms to increase the tolerance of cape gooseberry plants to attack by Fusarium oxysporum without affecting yield.