Integration of Natural Mycorrhizae In Production of Container-Grown Nursery Crops

New Jersey’s nursery growers participated in developing protocols and implementing schemes of using natural mycorrhizae to produce container-grown nursery crops including: ‘Harvest Moon’ Echinacea, ‘Karen Purple’ azalea, ‘Pee Wee’ oakleaf hydrangea, ‘Forever &Ever Double Pink’ bigleaf hydrangea, and ‘Golden Mop’ chamaecyparis. The plants were grown in 2-gallon containers containing growers’ media mixes and were fertilized with grower’s standard Nutricote fertilizer rate. Each participating grower grew two sets of plants, where one set was inoculated with natural mycorrhizae that corresponds to specific plant type and the second set did not receive mycorrhizae (control) in four replications. Mycorrhizal inoculated Echinacea plants significantly had 48%, 79%, and 100% spent, open, and closed flowers, respectively, when compared to non-inoculated plants. Top biomass was significantly pronounced in mycorrhizae-inouclated Echinacea plants and to a lesser degree in all other tested plants except for chamaecyparis. There was no difference in root biomass in any treatment, however, there was a significant higher arbuscule abundance in inoculated compared with non-inoculated plant roots at the 1% level.