Mycorrhizal status of Olea europaea spp. oleaster in Morocco

Objective: This study describes the mycorrhizal oleaster status (Olea europaea ssp. oleaster:) in the Moroccan ecosystems. Methodology and results: Soil samples were extracted from the rhizosphere of the oleaster tree groves in several regions of Morocco. The frequency and the levels of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inside the root bark were measured by assigning an index of mycorrhization from 0 to 5 (Derkowska et al., 2008). The results showed that the AM fungal colonization structures were hyphae, coils and vesicles. The mycorrhizal frequency and intensity reached respectively 70 and 6% in the Bnifougass site. The highest spore density was in the order of 364 g soil spores/100 g and the genus Glomus was the dominant one. The tentative identification test of VAM (Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizae) species, isolated from the rhizosphere of the oleaster trees, revealed the presence of five fungus species: Glomus intraradices, Glomus clarum, Glomus versiforme, Acaulospora colossica, Scutellospora heterogama. Conclusion: In all the studied sites the oleaster roots were Mycorrhized. These results open up many opportunities for the application of the controlled mycorrhization in the oleaster plants nurseries production