Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Species Associated with Soybean (<i>Glycine max</i> L. Merill) in Benin

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMFs) could be used to sustainably improve crop yields. The present study evaluated the diversity of AMF species associated with soybean (Glycine max L. Merill) in main soybean-producing areas in Benin. Composite soil samples from 13 production areas at a rate of 04 villages per production areas were collected. A spore trapping device was set up to reveal the diversity of spores. The physical and chemical properties of the soils, the frequency and intensity of mycorrhization of roots, and the diversity of AMF spores were determined in the soil samples following trapping. As result, eight morphotypes belonging to four genera: Glomus, Acaulospora Gigaspora and Disversispora and three families: Diversisporales, Glomérales and Paraglomérales were observed. An important variability of spore densities was observed from one production areas to another with a higher abundance in the production areas of Copargo estimated at 3584 spores/100g soil. The biological diversity indexes as Shannon (0.0311), Simpson (0.0204) and Hill (0.0235), varied significantly (p < 0.05) from one production areas to another. There was significant correlation between the parameters studied, particularly between the physico-chemical parameters of the soils and between the physico-chemical parameters and the biological diversity indexes. For the mycorrhization parameters, the mycorhization frequencies did not vary from one production areas to another, unlike the intensities, which significantly varied from one production areas to another (2.31% to 24.62%). Finally, this study revealed that the physico-chemical parameters of the soils had an influence on the other parameters studied. Moreover, there were an abundance and a significant diversification of AMFs associated with soybean in the different production areas, which are influenced by certain physico-chemical soil parameters.