Summary
This paper examines competition between three VA endophytes places respectively as “inoculant” fungus in an inner compartment (300 ml) below the germinating seed, and as “indigenous” fungus in an outer compartment (900 ml). Previously prepared infested soil was used as source of the endophytes. Inner and outer compartment roots were harvested separately and percentage infection determined for each fungus, using diagnostic anatomical features of each fungus. Changes in colonisation patterns were followed up to 4 and 5 months. Treatments with non-infested soil in the outer compartment were used to compare infectivity and spread of the different endophytes.
All three endophytes were able to invade soil already colonised by either of the other two, butGlomus fasciculatum (E3) was more invasive thanGlomus tenue. This pattern appeared to be related to rates of spread of the fungi in the non-infested soil. The pattern was not affected by host, clover or sorghum, or by position, immediately below the seed or in the outer compartment.
It seemed that the endophyte in the inner compartment had overriding and persistent effects on plant growth, unrelated to its dominance pattern or share of overall root infection at the later harvests.
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Lopez-Aguillon, R., Mosse, B. Experiments on competitiveness of three endomycorrhizal fungi. Plant Soil 97, 155–170 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374938
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374938