Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops in Burkina Faso. Nevertheless, tomato production is
confronted with numerous biotic and abiotic constraints. So, it is essential to find ways of boosting its production, starting at the nursery. In nurseries, the use of mycorrhizal fungi can be an effective means of obtaining vigorous and healthy seedlings. This study was carried out with the aim of assessing the impact of endogenous mycorrhizal fungi on the growth and biomass of tomatoes in the nursery. To do so, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), known as a hypermycotrophic plant, was used for the inoculum production of mycorrhizal fungi. In addition, the effect of direct association of sorghum and tomato was studied. The results showed that the application of mycorrhizal fungi significantly improved the emergence, growth, and leafing of tomatoes in the nursery. A height of 5.75 cm was observed in mycorrhizal plants as compared to 3.23 cm for non-mycorrhizal control plants. It was also shown that adding mycorrhizal inoculum to the seeds was much more effective than the direct association in the field with the sorghum plant and tomato. The results showed that endogenous mycorrhizal fungi significantly improved the emergence, plant height, leaf formation, and biomass production of tomato plants.

Mycorrhizae, Nursery, Sorghum bicolor, Symbiosis, Tomato