THE EFFECT OF ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI Glomus etunicatum, Acaulospora spinosa, AND THEIR COMBINATION ON THE GROWTH OF OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) SEEDLINGS IN A NURSERY

Abstract

The effectiveness of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in oil palm seedlings is influenced by the compatibility between fungal species and the host plant. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine whether Glomus etunicatum, Acaulospora spinosa, or their combination could produce the best growth of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) seedlings under nursery conditions. A Randomized Complete Block Design with four treatments, namely control, G. etunicatum, A. spinosa, and the combination of both fungi, was used with six replications. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and means were compared using the Honest Significant Difference (HSD) test at the 5% level. Root colonization ranged from 4.07% to 14.52%. The results showed that no AMF treatment or AMF combination consistently produced the best growth across all observed variables. Treatments that resulted in the highest values for several growth parameters were generally not significantly different from the control treatment, while the control produced the highest fresh shoot weight. These findings indicate that the AMF colonization achieved in this study did not provide a consistent growth advantage over the control treatment. Therefore, the hypothesis that the combination of G. etunicatum and A. spinosa would produce the best growth of oil palm seedlings could not be confirmed.