Abstract
The source of nitrogen in the spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi was quantified by a 15N-labeling technique. N was applied as coated urea to the soil and in solution to plant shoots. Soil-applied fertilizer had a significant effect on spore % 15N (P<0.01), with a 24–75% contribution to spore N. Fertilizer applied to either alfalfa shoots or bahia grass shoots had little effect on spore % 15N, accounting for 0–14% or 1–9% of spore N, respectively. These results indicate that AM fungi obtain spore N mostly from the soil. The small amount of spore N originating from shoot-applied N may have been obtained via root exudation.
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Accepted: 6 November 2000
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Nakano, A., Takahashi, K., Koide, R. et al. Determination of the nitrogen source for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi by 15N application to soil and plants. Mycorrhiza 10, 267–273 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s005720000088
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s005720000088