EFFECT OF MYCORRIZHIZAL INFECTION ON CALAPOGONIUM MUCUNOIDES IN NKO COMMUNITY, YAKURR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

Fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides application has been the major options for sustainability
in global food and tree crop production, the danger is felt in rising acidity of the soil, with low
crop yield. Mycorrhizae and nodulation bacteria are necessary for tree seedlings establishment,
arable, pasture, and fodder crops production in over-cultivated, degraded, and low to moderate
soil fertility areas. Calapogonium mucunoides is cover crop, and leguminous plant. The paper
seek to carry out preliminary assessment of mycorrhizal infection on Calapogonium mucunoides
in Nko community soils. The study is to; examine if there are mycorrhizal spores associated with
the Calapogonium mucunoides environment; examine if there are roots infection by mycorrhiza;
estimate the percentage infection of the roots. Result of analysis explained that, Calapogonium
mucunoides is infested with Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizae type of endomycorrhizae with a
percentage root colonization of 69% and Rhizosphere spore count of 52 spore per 5gm of soil.
Significant linear relationship existed between plant “P”, the bulk soil “P” and rhizosphere
soil “P”. There was no significant difference between the bulk soil “P” and the rhizosphere soil
“P” at 5% and 1% probability levels. Thus, the mycorrhizal infection may not have been the
major contributing factor to “P” in the plant, as clearly seen in Calapogonium m. with plant
“P” (0.071%), bulk soil “P” (35.5ppm) and rhizosphere soil “P” (39,8ppm). Further research
on Calapogonium m. to ascertain the possible effect in its synergism is recommended, if
addressed, its rich potentials shall be harness for sustainable crop production.