engleski

Mountain arnica transplants production by usage of mycorrhizal fungi

Medicinal plant species mountain arnica (Arnica montana L, family Asteraceae), a herbaceous plant of European hilly-mountain region, grows on acidic lawns and dry heather-lands, and is present in plant community Arnico-Nardetum strictae in western part of Croatia. Negative changes in eco-system (air pollution, over-fertilization), abeyance of pasture and mowing of lawns, and excessive gathering from the nature, lead to continuous decline of natural populations, proclamation of species as vulnerable and protecting by law in many European states, including Croatia. The aim of research is introduction of arnica into agricultural production on agro-ecologically suitable lands (hilly region, acidic soils. with, low nutrient content), along with diminishing of plant mortality, especially expressed in the first year of cultivation. It is presumed that plant mortality could be decreased by using of mycorrhizal fungi of the genus Glomus and/or Trichoderma in transplants production. Transplants were grown in PP trays with 67 cells, 9 cm deep, filled with commercial organic substrate inoculated with 5 % inoculum of Glomus mossae (GM) and Glomus intraradices (GI), pellets of Trichoderma harzianum (TH, one pellet per cell) and in untreated substrate as control (C). The trial was set up in the summer growing period, in the open space with net-protection, according to complete randomized block with four replications. Since initial growing was very slow, seedlings were pricked out two months after seeding into 11 cm deep and  6, 5 cm pots, and transplanted three weeks later in agricultural field, according to Latin square with four replications. Growth parameters (leaf rosette diameter, number of leaves per plant, plant biomass) analysed before pricking and planting out, and six weeks after planting, showed significant positive effect of TH on growth and development of arnica plants, as well as negative influence of GM and GI.

biomass; growth parameters; multicell trays; mycorrhiza transplants

Rezultati prezentirani na ovom kongresu proizlaze iz istraživanja provedenih za potrebe VIP projekta br. VIII-5-35/08