Effect of sunlight on the mycorrhizal associations in rhizomatic plant Colocasia esculenta L.

Effect of light and shade on mycorrhizal colonization in roots of “Elephant Ear” (Colocasia esculenta L.) was studied. For this purpose; four samples of thin roots of Elephant Ear were selected from light and shady area. The roots were stained and observed, microscopically. These roots showed a significant relationship of mycorrhizal colonization with Light Shade. Percentage of hyphal colonization and arbuscule presence, number of arbuscules and vesicles per field of microscope were studied in both root categories. The overall trend of mycorrhizal infection was higher in Light grown roots as compared to the collected from shady areas. Plant roots grown under direct sunlight not only had the higher hyphal colonization rate than shade grown roots but they also showed the higher number of arbuscules and the higher number of vesicles per field of microscope. These remarkable differences ratify that sunlight has a positive impact on mycorrhizal symbiosis. It is, therefore, indicated that sunlight accelerates the mycorrhizal symbiosis in plant roots through enhancement in the formation of arbuscules and vesicles.