In agroecological research it is important to determine the viability of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), since these are affected by crop management. Thus, this information allows us to infer their ability to form symbiotic associations and the time that AMF colonization lasts. The present study was aimed at comparing the viability of AMF propagules in eight coffee agroecosystems with different degrees of soil erosion (EroC1, EroC2, EroC3, SevEroC1, SevEroC2, SevEroC3, MinEroC and NoEroC). The highest viable colonization was found in non-eroded agroecosystems (MinEroC and NoEroC) and the lowest values were seen in highly eroded agroecosystems (SevEroC1 21%, SevEroC2 30% and SevEroC3 30%), without showing arbuscular colonization. On the other hand, the number of viable spores was remarkable in these agroecosystems (26 in SevEroC1, 24 in SevEroC2 and 247 in SevEroC3). The highest percentage of viable mycelium was found in non-eroded agroecosystems (MinEroC 19% and NoEroC 35%), compared to highly eroded agroecosystems (SevEroC1 2.2%, SevEroC2 4.1% and SevEroC3 6.5%). The results of the study show that soil erosion affects the viability of AMF propagules in the coffee agroecosystems evaluated.
