Arbuscular mycorrhizae in two national cocoa production systems (organic and chemical fertilization) in the province of Los Ríos, Ecuador

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavior of mycorrhizae in national cocoa plantations (Theobroma cacao L.) with different production systems, through the relationship between soil physicochemical characteristics and the ecology of arbuscular mycorrhizae as bioindicators of soil quality. Sixty soil and root samples were taken from the cantons of Quevedo, Buena Fé, Valencia, La Maná, and Mocache, to recover and count arbuscular mycorrhizae that inhabit the cocoa rhizosphere. Descriptive statistical methods were used for the general representation of the results of the observations; inferential methods were used to determine if the study factor (fertilizer application) in the influence on the ecological parameters of mycorrhizae. In terms of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) species richness, the PERMANOVA test showed that there were no significant statistical differences in fungal genus richness between farms with fertilization (p: 0.9936). I