Association of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi with 21 Forest Tree Species

21 species of forest trees were examined for their association with vescular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi in the roots at the early stage of their growth in the nursery. VAM fungi namely, Glomus aggregatum, G. convolutum, G. fasciculatum, G. geosporum and G. mosseae were found to infect the roots of host plants with maximum number of colonies in the roots of Xylia xylocarpa and the minimum in Bauhinia racemosa. The smallest and the largest vesicles were noted in Bauhinia retusa and anthocephalus cadamba, the causal organism being G. mosseae and G. convolutum respectively. Cassia spectabilis showed the highest number of vesicles (10.86) per square mm of root area. Significant variations were observed with regard to the number of vesicles and the extent of colonization among the species. ANOVA following DMR test on the percentage of root colonization showed distinct infection frequency in Xylia xylocarpa. The beneficial potentials of VAM fungi of the target species at nursery stage in forest management programs were discussed.