Two separate experiments analyzed the effect of four light intensities (70%, 50%, 30% and 4% of incident solar light) and two water regimes (saturated and non-saturated) on the growth and intensity of mycorrhizal colonization of Tabebuia avellanedae ex Lorentz Griseb. (purple trumpet tree; Bignoniaceae), in plants cultivated in non-sterilized substratum, inoculated or not with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The analyzed parameters were leaf area, dry mass, stem height, growth rates, stomatal density and proline concentration. The plants presented differences in morphology, physiology and in the intensity of mycorrhizal colonization according to the applied treatments. The differences showed by the plants were in the sense of minimizing the possible stresses caused by unfavorable light intensity and water regime The results obtained allow to suggest that the morphological and physiological adjustments presented by the species can bring advantages for the establishment of plants in gaps and dry environments and also for the survival in more shaded environments.
Purple trumpet tree; early development; arbuscular mycorrhizal
