Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with the rhizosphere of Piliostigma reticulatum and Guiera senegalensis shrubs in Senegal

Piliostima reticulatum and Guiera senegalensis shrubs constitute “islands of soil fertility” in the rhizosphere, with better availability of water and more intense biological activity in the Sudano-Sahelian agro-ecosystems. There is, however, paucity of information on diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) fungi, which have a wide ecological range of associations with a variety of vegetation. The purpose of this study was to identify the types of AMF in the rhizospheres of P. reticulatum and G. senegalensis shrubs in Senegal. Soil samples were collected from around the shrubs in Keur Matar Arame and Keur Ndary Ndiaye in 2019 after a rainy season. Arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi spores were isolated by the wet sieving method and identified based on their morphological characteristics (shape, size, colour, attached hyphae, and spore ornamentation). Four types of AMF were identified, namely Glomus aggregatum, Sclerocystis rubiformis, Gigaspora margarita and Scutellospora gregaria. In addition, the density of spores was more abundant in the soil outside the shrub canopy compare to the soil beneath the shrub.