www.ccsenet.org/jas Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 4, No. 3; 2012 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 137 Effects of Glomus lamellosum on Growth, Essential Oil Production and Nutrients Uptake in Selected Medicinal Plants Nikitas Karagiannidis, Thomas Thomidis (Corresponding author) & Eleni Panou-Filotheou Alexander Technological Education Institute of Thessaloniki, Department of Crop Production 57400, Sindos Macedonia, Greece Tel: 30-231-001-3768 E-mail: thomi-1@otenet.gr, thomidis@cp.teithe.gr Received: August 3, 2011 Accepted: August 18, 2011 Online Published: December 29, 2011 doi:10.5539/jas.v4n3p137 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/jas.v4n3p137 Abstract The effect of Glomus lamellosum on root colonization, growth, essential oil production and composition and nutrient acquisition of Santolina chamaecyparissus, Salvia officinalis, Lavandula angustifolia, Geranium dissectum, and Origanum dictamnus was investigated. The results showed that mycorrhizal plants had significantly higher growth, essential oil production and nutrient contents compared to non-inoculated plants. The S. officinalis plants showed the highest percentage of colonization, while the S. chamaecyparissus the lowest. Similar percentage of colonization was found among the G. dissectum, L. angustifolia and O. dictamnus plants. Analysis of essential oil by GC and GC/MS showed that the effect of G. lamellosum on the main compounds in leaf essential oils was different on the plant species used. It is concluded that the use of Glomus lamellosum may allow plant growth in low fertility soils, reduce fertilizer inputs and increase aromatic plant production of essential oils, while they indicate that it may be possible to use mycorrhizae to affect the quality of the essential oil produced. Keywords: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Colonization, Geranium dissectum, Lavandula angustifolia, Origanum dictamnus, Salvia officinalis, Santolina chamaecyparissus 1. Introduction Medicinal herbs are known as sources of phytochemicals, or active compounds that are widely sought after worldwide for their natural properties. They are useful source of essential oil and have been used for a long time in the perfumery, cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical industry. Essential oils are volatile, lipophilic mixtures of secondary plant compounds, mostly consisting of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and phenylproponoids. The qualitative and quantitative improvement of essential oil production presents an area of high commercial interest (Copetta et al., 2006; Khaosaad et al., 2006). The arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis is recognized for its multiple positive effects on plant growth and for its important contribution towards the maintenance of soil quality. In spite of these benefits to agriculture, at present, the realization of the full potential of this symbiosis has not yet been reached. The understanding of interactions existing among crops, fungal partners and environmental conditions must improve to allow for the efficient management of the mycorrhizal symbiosis through selected agronomic practices and inoculation of cultivated crops (Hamel, 1996). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are a ubiquitous group of soil fungi colonizing the roots of plants belonging to more than 90% of plant families (Brundett, 1991). Enhanced plant growth due to AMF association is well documented (Bagyaraj, 1984). In the past few decades, AMF have emerged as potential biofertilisers, a cheap, environmentally friendly alternative to expensive chemical fertilizers (Srivastava et al., 1996). These fungi are known to improve the nutritional status of the host, particularly that of phosphorous, and thereby enhance their growth, development and yield (Bagyaraj and Varma, 1995). Many other aspects of arbuscular mycorrhizal interactions including biocontrol toward plant pathogens, tolerance to water stress and adverse environmental conditions were studied, but little is known about their potential effect on the quantitative and qualitative profile of the secondary metabolites (e.g., essential oils) in medicinal and aromatic plants (Kapoor et al., 2002; Copetta et al., 2006; Morone-Fortunato & Avato, 2008).