Effect of mychorrhiza and phosphorus application on nursery plant development in sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) and rough lemon (C.jambhiri Lush.) seedlings

This research was conducted in greenhouses at West MediterraneanAgricultural Research Institute (BATEM), Antalya between December 2003 andMay 2005. Sour orange, extensively used in citrus nursery plant growing; roughlemon, extensively used in budwood multiplication; and `Washington Navel? forbudwood were used as plant materials. Cocktail mycorrhiza was obtained from fromthe Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Cukurova University. Steam-sterilized peat moss and pomza mixture was used as a planting medium. Evaluationof the data was performed at seedling transplantation, budding, and nursery plant salestages.With this research, it was aimed that the mycorrhizal dependancy of sourorange and rough lemon rootstocks, the mycorrhiza application time (seed sowingand seedling transplantation periods), and the appropriate mycorrhiza (0, 50, 100,200 g mycorrhiza mixture) and phosphorus (P-, P+) rate combination for seedlingand nursery plant development.In the sour orange rootstock, for the criteria of dry root weight, the stemdiameter of the seedling, and the stem diameter of the scion for well-established rootstructure at the seedling transplantation stage, at the budding stage, and nursery plantsale stage, respectively; 50 g (500 spore/plant) mycorrhiza application either at seedsowing bench period or at seedling tranplantation period was given the best result.As a result of this, it was thought that one time mycorrhizal infection of plant rootswas sufficient.Due to the well-established root structure of rough lemon rootstock, it couldbe said that rough lemon is less dependent to mycorrhiza inoculation. Mycorrhizacould make minimum phosphorus in the medium beneficial to the plant.