Scientia Horticulturae 217 (2017) 55–60 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Scientia Horticulturae journal h om epage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scihorti Growth media and mycorrhizal species effect on acclimatization and nutrient uptake of banana plantlets ˙ Ibrahim Ortas a,∗ , Mazhar Rafique a,b , Cagdas Akpinar c , Yıldız Aka Kacar d a Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, University of C ¸ ukurova, Faculty of Agriculture, Adana, Turkey b Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan c Department of Organic Farming Business Management, Kadirli School of Applied Sciences, University of Osmaniye Korkut Ata, Osmaniye, Turkey d Department of Horticulture, University of Cukurova, Adana, Turkey a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 20 September 2016 Received in revised form 8 January 2017 Accepted 13 January 2017 Keywords: G. caledonium G. macrocarpun Micropropagation Inoculation a b s t r a c t The objective of this study was to investigate the acclimatization and performance of banana (Dwarf Cavendish) in two substrates inoculated with different AM fungi (Glomus. caledonium and G. macrocarpun) and assess the plantlets dependency on inoculation for phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) uptake along with biomass development. In addition, to investigate the role of mycorrhizal fungi in supporting acclimatiza- tion phase, a plant growth promotion study was set-up in greenhouse using micropropagated plantlets. Two growth media, as GM-I and GM-II were used accompanied by G. caledonium and G. macrocarpum. In first phase, 9 weeks acclimatization study was conducted and in second phase, acclimatized plants were propagated for 16 weeks in both inoculated and non-inoculated conditions. Plantlets acclimatization and nutrient uptake were recorded along with other parameters. Mycorrhizal inoculation significantly increased banana plantlets growth, root infection and P uptake. Plantlets inoculated with G. caledonium exhibited increase in shoot and root dry mass, P and Zn concentration, and root infection in the GM-I. The shoot and root dry mass, P and Zn concentration, and root infection were higher in GM-I than Konaktas soil series. Banana plantlets are mycorrhizal dependent (MD) and soil-grown banana plantlets are more MD than plants grown in the GM-I. Mycorrhizal inoculation seems to be a significant factor in decreasing mortality and increasing production of high-quality banana plantlets under micropropagation conditions. © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Bananas are the second premier fruit crop, widely grown in developing countries and makes with production of 106 million tons followed by citrus (FAO, 2013; Madhulatha et al., 2004). Banana is a sensitive crop which faces a number of diseases on growing via vegetative propagation. To eliminate such risks, and develop disease-free planting material, bananas are microprop- agated on a large scale, which has additional benefits of high multiplication rate, optimized use of resources (plant material) and the production of high-quality plant. As the micropropogated plants are more sensitive to environ- mental changes (Vestberg et al., 2002), early inoculation with G. intraradices enhances the growth of bananas by improving nutri- ent uptake (Pinochet et al., 1997). Phosphorus makes 0.2% dry mass ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: iortas@cu.edu.tr ( ˙ I. Ortas). of banana plantlets and it’s availability become more crucial for tissue-cultured plantlets in changing environment (Schachtman et al., 1998). Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are widely recognized for plant growth improvement by nutrient uptake and assistance stress tolerance (Barea et al., 2005; Declerck et al., 2002; Johansson et al., 2004). Wide extension of mycorrhizal hyphae increase ability of roots to absorb nutrients by enhancing surface area mainly for depleted soils (Smith and Read, 2008). AM fungi facilitate in plant growth under nursery conditions (Douds et al., 1993; Jefwa et al., 2009; Kavoo-Mwangi et al., 2013) by colonizing 80% of the ter- restrial plants (Brundrett, 2002). Banana roots are also colonized and increase plant vigour which enhances water absorption, min- eral nutrient uptake, and mainly the phosphorus. Micropropagated plantlets are expected to be microbe free including pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria and AM fungi (Yano-Melo et al., 1999). Besides that, different species of Glomus are effective in promoting banana plantlets growth (Mwashasha et al., 2011; Yano-Melo et al., 1999). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2017.01.025 0304-4238/© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.