roots placed in the oven at 70 ◦C for 1 hour. The stain was decanted
and de-staining solution comprising of acid glycerol (500mL glycerol,
450mL distilled water, and 50 ml of 1% HCl) was added. Fine
root segments were cut into 1 cm-long pieces and 30 pieces randomly
picked, mounted on slides and observed under a compound
microscope to assess the frequency and intensity mycorrhizal colonization.
Presence of arbuscules, vesicles, internal and external
hyphae was examined. The frequency mycorrhizal colonization
was recorded as the number of root fragments infected with mycorrhizal
fungi and expressed as a percentage of total number of
root fragments observed. The intensity of mycorrhizal fungi colonization
was recorded as percentage cover of mycorrhizal fungi
infective propagules in each 1 cm root fragment.
2.6. Evaluation of the efficacy of microorganisms based products
under field conditions
After the nursery phase (22 weeks after deflasking), 36 plants
from each treatment under green house conditions (12 plants per
study site) were established under a Vertisol, Rhodic Ferralsol and