The effects of excess amounts of MgSO4 on Ca, Mg, K contents and VAM colonization in pistachio Vera Var. Badami

Many pistachio cultivating areas are exposed to excess magnesium amounts. In this study, the effect of excess Mg was considered via treating pistachio var. Badami with different concentrations of MgSO4 in a pot culture experiment in the soils with VA mycorrhizal fungi according to a complete randomized block design. Total length of roots and shoots, dry weights, the number of spores produced by VAM fungi, colonizations rate of the roots to VAM and the contents of Ca, Mg, K in the roots and shoots were measured. The results showed that VAM spore number, plant dry weight and root colonization rate increased as more MgSO4 was added to the pots. The contents of Ca, Mg, K in the roots were also increased. However, the Mg content of roots was higher than that of shoots.