@article{Pérez-Díaz_Aranda-Azaharez_Rivera-Espinosa_Bustamante-González_Pérez-Suarez_2023, title={Quality indicators for micrografted seedlings of Theobroma cacao inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi}, volume={34}, url={https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/agromeso/article/view/51102}, DOI={10.15517/am.v34i2.51102}, abstractNote={<p><strong><span class="CharOverride-2" lang="">Introduction.</span> </strong>For the proper establishment of cocoa plantations, suitable technologies must be guaranteed to obtain quality seedlings (young plants sown and developed in bags) in the nurseries. <strong><span class="CharOverride-2" lang="">Objective.</span></strong> To define quality indicators for cocoa seedlings produced via micro-grafting, depending on organic sources and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a Brown Sialitic soil. <strong><span class="CharOverride-2" lang="">Materials and methods. </span></strong>Between 2018 and 2019 in the nursery of the Empresa Agroforestal y Coco de Baracoa, the inoculation of the <em><span class="CharOverride-6" lang="">Glomus cubense</span></em> and <em><span class="CharOverride-6" lang="">Rhizoglomus irregulare</span> </em>strains in substrates formed by earthworm humus and composted cocoa husk (3:1,5:1 v/v) was evaluated. A completely randomized design was used, with 50 postures per treatment, of which 25 were evaluated. At four months, the following were evaluated: plant height, stem diameter, aerial, root and total dry mass, foliar nutrient concentration (N, P, K), leaf area, slenderness index, Dickson Quality Index (DQI), and the percentage of mycorrhizal colonization. A simple rank analysis of variance was performed and Duncan’s comparison test (95 %) was applied. <span class="CharOverride-2" lang=""><strong>Results.</strong> </span>The inoculation of<em> <span class="CharOverride-6" lang="">G. cubense </span></em>and <em><span class="CharOverride-6" lang="">R. irregulare</span></em>, regardless of the source, significantly increased total dry mass (39 %), the leaf area (20 %) and the DQI (48 %) with respect to the controls. The DQI was significantly related (p<0.05) to total dry mass and leaf area (R<span class="CharOverride-4" lang="">2</span>= 0.97). The inoculation with <span class="CharOverride-6" lang=""><em>R. irregulare</em> </span>and <span class="CharOverride-6" lang=""><em>G. cubense</em> </span>increased the leaf N, P, and k concentrations. <span class="CharOverride-2" lang=""><strong>Conclusions.</strong> </span>The variables total dry mass, leaf area, slenderness index, and DQI showed an integrative character of plant growth and can be used as quality indicators for cocoa micro-grafts, based on soil : organic fertilizer relationships and inoculation with <em><span class="CharOverride-6" lang="">G. cubense</span> </em>and <em><span class="CharOverride-6" lang="">R. irregulare</span></em>.</p>}, number={2}, journal={Agronomía Mesoamericana}, author={Pérez-Díaz, Alberto and Aranda-Azaharez, Raúl and Rivera-Espinosa, Ramón Antonio and Bustamante-González, Carlos Alberto and Pérez-Suarez, Yasmin}, year={2023}, month={Mar.}, pages={51102} }