Abstract:
The percentage of arbuscular mycorrhizal root colonization was assessed for two species of Plantago: Plantago
lanceolata and Plantago major, sampled from different locations. Ten samples were analyzed for each species by using
the Trypan Blue staining technique. The study was intended to estimate the level of arbusculat mycorrhizal colonization
(AM) of the two species of Plantago and compare the results obtained. The percentage of mycorrhizal colonization was
on an average of 27.74% for Plantago major and 40.17% for Plantago lanceolata, the difference between the two
species being of 12.43%. Trypan Blue staining provided a good contrast, fine mycorrhizal structures (hyphae and
arbuscules) being emphasized on the microscope. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) shows that the means are
significant for data distributions in the two species of Plantago. Kurtosis indicator had different values, the average
distribution of the species being platikurtic for Plantago lanceolata (low variability in the data string) and leptokurtic
for Plantago major (high variability).
