Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increased resistance of two plantain varieties (Fhia 21 and Orishele), under water deficit conditions in Cote d’Ivoire

A pot experiment was conducted to assess the potential of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to improve plantain resistance to water deficit conditions. For this purpose, three sources of inoculants were used: (1) a strain of Glomus clavisporum isolated from plantain rhizosphere in Azaguié region; (2) a fungal complex isolated from plantain rhizosphere in Azaguié (5°38 'N, 4°05' W); (3) a fungal complex isolated from plantain rhizosphere in Bouaflé (6°59 'N, 5°45' W). These inoculants were tested, using the plantain varieties Fhia 21 and Orishele, using three levels of water supply (100, 60 and 30%). Plant growth and others physiological parameters were measured and compared for all the treatments, including the control. Comprehensively, root colonization decreased with the reduction of water supply. The mycorrhizal plants had widest leaves, highest leaf water and chlorophyll contents for any level of water supply. As same, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi significantly increased soluble sugars and proline contents with water deficit. These results demonstrated that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increase plantain photosynthetic activity and thus impact plantain growth in any water supply condition. The proline and soluble sugars are were sensitive molecules to water stress conditions and their productions in the plantain are were improved in presence of mycorrhizal fungi.