Mycorrhizal status of cultivated and wild pearl millet (pennisetumglaucum (l.) R. Br) in three agro-ecological zones of Senegal

Pearl millet (Pennisetumglaucum (L.) R. Br) is a cereal grown in the driest tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia. Thanks to its strong capacity to adapt to the dry tropical climate and low fertility soils, millet plays an important role in the food security of local populations in these regions. It is able to establish a mycorrhizal symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which play a key role in the absorption of nutrients and the mitigation of abiotic and biotic stress in their host. We first evaluated the mycorrhizal status of cultivated and wild millet in three agro-ecological zones of Senegal by following a rainfall gradient and then the effect of inoculation with AMF on the growth of cultivated millet. We found that wild and cultivated millet establishedarbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis but a low rate of mycorrhizationwas observed. The frequency of mycorhization was significantly higher in cultivated than in wild plants. We then evaluated the impact of AMF inoculation on plant growth and found very limited impact. These results suggest that millet is not very dependent on mycorrhizae although AMF may stimulate its growth.