Phosphate solubilization, production of IAA, and other related compounds by fungi interact with plants as part of its colonization, leading to growth promotion, induced resistance, and modification of basal plant defense mechanisms. In...
morePhosphate solubilization, production of IAA, and other related compounds by fungi interact with plants as part of its colonization, leading to growth promotion, induced resistance, and modification of basal plant defense mechanisms. In the current study, 77 rhizosphere fungal species belonging to 30 genera were isolated on Czapek’s Dox agar from around 40 root samples of wheat- and pepper-soil collected from El-Kharga Oasis, New Valley Governorate, Egypt. Pepper-soil appertained a higher number of genera (22) and species (51) than wheat-soil. Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium were the most common genera recorded, and Aspergillus flavus, A. terreus, and Penicillium chrysogenum were the prevalent species in wheat-soil, while A. niger, A. terreus, and Scopulariopsis fusca were the wealthiest species in pepper-soil. Two hundred isolates were screened for their phosphate solubilization potential; only 31.0% of total isolates could solubilize phosphate with various degrees. The highest phosphate solubilization index (PSI) was shown in P. chrysogenum AUMC 14100, A. niger AUMC 14260, P. chrysogenum AUMC 14262, A. brasiliensis AUMC 14261, and A. lacticoffeatus AUMC 14257, recording PSI of 3.84, 3.74, 3.48, 3.17 and 3.11 respectively. The potentiality to solubilize phosphate by these five isolates was estimated in the liquid medium, A. niger AUMC 14260 could solubilize the maximum amount of phosphate (1754.7 μg/mL) after 20 days, while it reached its highest level in A. brasiliensis and A. lacticoffeatus (1745.8 μg/mL and 1679.1 μg/mL respectively) after 10 days. Therefore, these strains can be considered promising biofertilizers for application in agriculture.
Cite this as: Hussein, N.A.-G., Ismail, M.A., Ragaey, M.M., Dawood, M.F.A.E. & El-Khatib, A.A.-A.M. (2020). In vitro estimation of the phosphate-solubilizing potentiality of rhizosphere fungi isolated from New Valley Governorate, Egypt. J. Multidiscip. Sci. 2(1), 1-11.