Vegetation development on deposit soils starting at different seasons

Permanent plots were created in different seasons (autumn and spring) and filled with two substrates: nutrient-rich topsoil and nutrient-poor ruderal soil (n = 5 for each treatment). My objectives were to assess the influence of starting season on initial species composition, whether differences at the start cause divergent or convergent pathways of succession and which mechanisms are operating during vegetation development. Mean species richness (number of species per plot) and mean total cover of herb layer differed significantly between substrates and changed significantly during 10 year succession, but there were no significant differences with respect to starting season. However, seasonal as well as substrate effects were evident for particular dominant species and for the pattern of successional sequences. When succession on topsoil plots started in spring, first summer annuals dominated, then monocarpic and polycarpic perennial herbs, then herbaceous perennials together with woody perennials, and at the end of the decade woody perennials. When succession started in autumn, polycarpic perennial herbs dominated from the beginning, and then were replaced by woody perennials in the second half of the decade. On ruderal soil, there was a less rapid but continuous increase of polycarpic perennial herbs and woody species, both on spring and on autumn plots, whereas short-lived plants were more abundant in the first years and then decreased. Species turnover was very high from the first to the second year for all treatments (except topsoil plots starting in autumn), but slowed down during succession. Priority effects due to starting season caused high dissimilarity at the start on the nutrient-rich substrate, but convergent succession towards the end of the first decade. The main mechanisms during early succession on the nutrient-rich topsoil were tolerance based on different life-history traits and inhibition due to reduced light availability. There was no evidence for obligate facilitation. However, an indirect facilitative effect by annuals, which slowed the development of herbaceous perennials down, and thus facilitated growth of woody species, could be seen on topsoil when succession started in spring.     

Interference betweenSalsola kali L. seedlings: Implications for plant succession

Studies were conducted to determine the cause of the decline of the early successional species,Salsola kali L., in the years following its colonization of disturbed soils in arid regions of the western United States. DriedS. kali plant material significantly stimulated the growth ofS. kali but had no effect on the growth or levels of mycorrhizal infection ofAgropyron smithii, a later successional grass. In contrast, root leachates fromS. kali caused a depression in the growth ofS. kali, but had no effect on the growth or mycorrhizal infection ofA. smithii. In the reciprical experiment, root leachates fromA. smithii had no effect on mycorrhizal fungi,S. kali, orA. smithii. This study contradicts earlier studies of the allelopathic potential ofS. kali litter and supports the importance of direct interference betweenS. kali seedling as the cause of the die-off ofS. kali during secondary succession.     

Contribution of the VA mycorrhizal hyphae in acquisition of phosphorus and zinc by maize grown in a calcareous soil

An investigation was carried out to test whether the mechanism of increased zinc (Zn) uptake by mycorrhizal plants is similar to that of increased phosphorus (P) acquisition. Maize (Zea mays L.) was grown in pots containing sterilised calcareous soil either inoculated with a mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae (Nicol. and Gerd.) Gerdemann and Trappe or with a mixture of mycorrhizal fungi, or remaining non-inoculated as non-mycorrhizal control. The pots had three compartments, a central one for root growth and two outer ones for hyphal growth. The compartmentalization was done using a 30-m nylon net. The root compartment received low or high levels of P (50 or 100 mg kg^–1 soil) in combination with low or high levels of P and micronutrients (2 or 10 mg kg^–1 Fe, Zn and Cu) in the hyphal compartments.Mycorrhizal fungus inoculation did not influence shoot dry weight, but reduced root dry weight when low P levels were supplied to the root compartment. Irrespective of the P levels in the root compartment, shoots and roots of mycorrhizal plants had on average 95 and 115% higher P concentrations, and 164 and 22% higher Zn concentrations, respectively, compared to non-mycorrhizal plants. These higher concentrations could be attributed to a substantial translocation of P and Zn from hyphal compartments to the plant via the mycorrhizal hyphae. Mycorrhizal inoculation also enhanced copper concentration in roots (135%) but not in shoots. In contrast, manganese (Mn) concentrations in shoots and roots of mycorrhizal plants were distinctly lower, especially in plants inoculated with the mixture of mycorrhizal fungi.The results demonstrate that VA mycorrhizal hyphae uptake and translocation to the host is an important component of increased acquisition of P and Zn by mycorrhizal plants. The minimal hyphae contribution (delivery by the hyphae from the outer compartments) to the total plant acquisition ranged from 13 to 20% for P and from 16 to 25% for Zn.     

Fate of plants from buried seeds on Volcano Usu,Japan, after the 1977–1978 eruptions

The eruptions of 1977–1978 on Mount Usu in northern Japan resulted in the almost complete destruction of vegetation by a 1–3-m-thick accumulation of volcanic deposits. Erosion created gullies that removed these deposits and frequently exposed the old original soil. I previously confirmed that seedlings of 14 species (eight annual and six perennial herbs) emerged from seeds buried in the original topsoil. To clarify the role of the seed bank on volcanic succession, I monitored seedlings of seed bank species from 1983 to 1992. Nearly all the annuals, such as Polygonum longisetum and Rorippa islandica, originated from the seed bank. However, seed supply from the seed bank declined with time. Because seedling mortality was extremely high and reproductive success was low, due mostly to the instability of ground surface, these annuals emerged for several years but disappeared after 1989. The nitrogen-fixing and stoloniferous perennials, Trifolium repens and Lotus corniculatus var. japonicus, were derived only from the seed bank. They have gradually increased in cover and have become large enough to flower. The other perennials derived from the seed bank, most of which produce short rhizomes, did not increase in cover annually and thus contributed less to revegetation than nitrogen-fixing stoloniferous species. The fate of perennials seems to be dependent on the types of rhizome and stolon systems. Although recruitment from the seed bank was restricted to gullies, the seed bank was the major source of annuals and of nitrogen-fixing perennials in the gullies. Succession in the gullies was substantially different from that which occurred outside the gullies where plants mostly originated from seed immigration and vegetative reproduction from surviving plants, and annual and nitrogen-fixing plants were absent.     

EFFECT OF THE NON-MYCORRHIZAL PIONEER PLANT SALSOLA KALI L. (CHENOPODIACEAE) ON VESICULAR-ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL (VAM) FUNGI

The effects of Salsola kali (Russian thistle) on chlamydospore numbers and viable propagules of the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus fasciculatum were monitored for 18 wk under laboratory conditions. When S. kali or Agropyron smithii (a mycorrhizal species) were grown for 6 wk, the number of chlamydospores in soil declined to the same number as in the control (non-planted) soil; the number of chlamydospores in the S. kali and control soils continued to decline over the 18 wk period. However, using a Zea mays bioassay, the per cent colonization of corn roots obtained from soil in which S. kali grew for 6, 12, or 18 wk was significantly greater than in the control soil. These results suggest that S. kali may stabilize mycorrhizal infectivity of disturbed soils for at least short periods of time.     

Extension of the phosphorus depletion zone in VA-mycorrhizal white clover in a calcareous soil

To examine the influence of vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal fungi on phosphorus (P) depletion in the rhizosphere, mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal white clover (Trifolium repens L.) were grown for seven weeks in a sterilized calcareous soil in pots with three compartments, a central one for root growth and two outer ones for hyphae growth. Compartmentation was accomplished by a 30-μm nylon net. The root compartment received a uniform level of P (50 mg kg⁻¹ soil) in combination with low or high levels of P (50 or 150 mg kg⁻¹ soil) in the hyphal compartments. Plants were inoculated withGlomus mosseae (Nicol. & Gerd.) Gerd. & Trappe or remained uninfected. Mycorrhizal inoculation doubled P concentration in shoot and root, and increased dry weight, especially of the shoot, irrespective of P levels. Mycorrhizal contribution accounted for 76% of total P uptake at the low P level and 79% at the high P level, and almost all of this P was delivered by the hyphae from the outer compartment. In the non-mycorrhizal plants, the depletion of NaHCO₃-extractable P (Olsen-P) extended about 1 cm into the outer compartment, but in the mycorrhizal plants a uniform P depletion zone extended up to 11.7 cm (the length of the hyphal compartment) from the root surface. In the outer compartment, the mycorrhizal hyphae length density was high (2.5–7 m cm⁻³ soil) at the various distances (0–11.7 cm) from the root surface. Uptake rate of P by mycorrhizal hyphae was in the range of 3.3–4.3×10⁻¹⁵ mol s⁻¹ cm⁻¹.     

Spontaneous vegetation succession in human‐disturbed habitats: A pattern across seres

Abstract. Vegetation samples from 15 successional seres in various disturbed habitats in the western part of the Czech Republic were analysed to detect possible trends. For particular seres, data on species cover were available from the onset to 10–76 yr of succession. All seres started on bare ground. Species which attained at least 1% cover in any sere in any year were used as input data for Canonical Correspondence Analysis, assessing the effect of time as the environmental variable, for Detrended Correspondence Analysis and TWINSPAN classification. Two distinct groups ofseres were distinguished: ‘ruderal’, occurring in agricultural, industrial or urban landscapes altered by men, usually on fertile sites; and ‘non‐ruderul’, occurring in less altered, mostly forested landscapes, usually on acid, nutrient‐poor and wetter soils. The former type of succession starts with ruderal annuals, being followed by ruderal perennials. In the latter case non‐ruderal clonal perennials prevail from the onset of succession. The landscape frame is emphasized, beside site environmental conditions, as influencing the type of succession. The character of species attaining dominance in succession, participation of dominant woody plants and the character of late successional stages, i.e. features important from the point of view of potential restoration of human‐disturbed habitats, are discussed.     

Interaction of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and root knot nematode on cultivars of tomato and white clover susceptible to Meloidogyne hapla

The interactive effects of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi and root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne hapla) were studied on nematode-susceptible cultivars of tomato (cv. Scoresby) and white clover (cv. Huia) at four levels of applied phosphate. The relative merits of simultaneous inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi and nematodes and of inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi prior to nematode inoculation were evaluated. Mycorrhizal plants were more resistant than non-mycorrhizal plants to root-knot nematode at all phosphate levels and growth benefits were generally greater in plants preinfected with mycorrhizal fungi. Nematode numbers increased with increasing levels of applied phosphate. In mycorrhizal root systems, nematode numbers increased in the lower phosphate soils; at higher phosphate levels nematode numbers were either unaffected or reduced. The numbers of juveniles and adults per gram of root were always lower in mycorrhizal treatments. Mycorrhizal root length remained unaffected by nematode inoculation. Mycorrhizal inoculation thus increased the plants' resistance to infection by M. hapla. This was probably due to some alteration in the physiology of the root system but was not entirely a result of better host nutrition and improved phosphorus uptake by mycorrhizal plants.     

Restoring a Mediterranean‐climate shrub community with perennial species reduces future invasion

Successful restoration of an invaded landscape to a diverse, invasion‐resistant native plant community requires determining the optimal native species mix to add to the landscape. We manipulated native seed mix (annuals, perennials, or a combination of the two), while controlling the growth of non‐native species to test the hypothesis that altering native species composition can influence native establishment and subsequent non‐native invasion. Initial survival of native annuals and perennials was higher when seeded in separate mixes than when combined, and competition between the native perennials and annuals led to lower perennial cover in year 2 of mixed‐seeded plots. The plots with the highest perennial cover had the highest resistance to invasion by Brassica nigra. To clarify interactions among different functional groups of natives and B. nigra, we measured competitive interactions in pots. We grew one native annual, one native perennial, and B. nigra alone or with different competitors and measured biomass after 12 weeks. Brassica nigra was the strongest competitor, limiting the growth of all native species, and was not impacted by competition with native annuals or perennial seedlings. Results from the potted plant experiment demonstrated the strong negative influence of B. nigra on native seedlings. Older native perennials were the strongest competitors against invasive species in the field, yet perennial seedling survival was limited by competition with native annuals and B. nigra. Management action that maximizes perennial growth in early years may lead to a relatively more successful restoration and the establishment of an invasion‐resistant community.     

Differential response in growth and mycorrhizal colonisation of soybean to inoculation with two isolates ofGlomus clarum in soils of different P availability

Soybean (Glycine max cv. Mikiwashima) seedlings were inoculated with two tropical isolates of the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungusGlomus clarum (Gc); isolateGcA was isolated from soils of low phosphate (P) and isolateGcB from soils of high P availability. In soil with low P,GcA was more efficient in increasing growth, nodulation and nitrogenase activity ofG. max thanGcB. Upon contact with the root surface, pre-infection hyphae ofGcA penetrated the root directly and rapidly colonised the cortical cells, while those ofGcB grew extensively on theroot surface with little host penetration. Mycorrhizal colonisation was higher in roots inoculated withGcA. Dual inoculation with the two isolates did not increase the effect of the single inoculation withGcA. In soils of high P status, both isolates formed pre-infection hyphae with few entry ooints and percentage mycorrhizal root colonisation was consequently low. The variation in efficacy of the isolates emphasizes the significance of evaluating host specificity when selecting efficient VA mycorrhizae strains for field studies.     

Component growth efficiencies of mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal plants

Two mycotrophic species ( Lactuca sativa and Abutilon theophrasti ) and one nonmycotrophic species ( Beta vulgaris ) were grown in a P-deficient soil, and the effects of mycorrhizal inoculation on three variables that determine growth rate were assessed for each. The phosphorus-use efficiency (PUE, d W /d P ) is the ratio of d. wt increase to P content increase. Plant P is the amount of P (the limiting resource) controlled by the plant, which can be allocated to various purposes. The phosphorus efficiency index (PEI, d P / P d t ) is the efficiency with which plant P is used to acquire P from the soil. Inoculated and control plants of a given species initially contained the same amount of P because all plants were grown from seed. Mycorrhizal colonization significantly increased the PEI of Lactuca and Abutilon (by 23 and 32%, respectively). As expected, mycorrhizal inoculation did not significantly increase the PEI of Beta . As a result, mycorrhizal inoculation significantly increased the P content of Lactuca and Abutilon , but not Beta . Mycorrhizal colonization decreased the PUE of lettuce, but did not significantly affect that of Abutilon or Beta . Mycorrhizal inoculation therefore slightly increased the growth rate of Lactuca , greatly increased the growth rate of Abutilon , and ultimately had no significant effect on the growth rate of Beta .     

Influence of Mycorrhizal Inoculation, Inundation Period, Salinity, and Phosphorus Availability on the Growth of Two Salt Marsh Grasses, Spartina alterniflora Lois. and Spartina cynosuroides (L.) Roth., in Nursery Systems

Restoration of salt marsh ecosystems is an important concern in the eastern United States to mitigate damage caused by industrial development. Little attention has been directed to the mycorrhizal influence on plantings of salt marsh species to stabilize estuarine sediments and establish cover. In our study, seedlings of two salt marsh grasses, Spartina alterniflora and Spartina cynosuroides, were grown in soil with a commercial, mixed species inoculum of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Plants were grown in experimental “ebb and flow” boxes, simulating three levels of tidal inundation, to which two levels of applied phosphorus (P) and two levels of salinity were imposed. After 2.5 months, S. alterniflora was poorly colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizae, developing only fungal hyphae and no arbuscules, but S. cynosuroides became moderately colonized. Mycorrhizal inoculation marginally improved growth and P and nitrogen (N) content of both plant species at low levels of P supply but significantly increased tillering in both plant species. This factor could be beneficial in enhancing ground cover during restoration procedures. Greater P availability increased the mycorrhizal status of S. cynosuroides and improved P nutrition of both plant species, despite a reduction in the root‐to‐shoot ratio. Increasing salinity reduced mycorrhizal colonization of S. alterniflora but not of S. cynosuroides. Growth and nutrient content of S. alterniflora was improved at higher levels of salinity, but only increased nutrient content in S. cynosuroides. Increased duration of tidal inundation decreased plant growth in both species, but tissue P and N concentrations were highest with the longest time of inundation in both species.     

Plant Facilitation on a Mine Tailings Dump

Facilitation is a potentially useful tool in restoration efforts. We investigated the causes of facilitation in planted Picea mariana seedlings in an unvegetated mine tailings dump. Clusters of plants doubled the survival rate in the first growing season compared to single plants. In the first year mycorrhizal inoculation had no effect on survival, but by the second growing season only mycorrhizal inoculated plants survived, most of these being in plant clusters. This suggests that facilitation in this environment is partly the result of interactions with mycorrhizae.     

The response of Glomus fistulosum–maize mycorrhiza to treatments with culture fractions from Pseudomonas putida

 This study examined which culture fraction of the plant-growth-promoting bacterium Pseudomonas putida (Trevisan) Migula has an effect on growth and mycorrhiza formation of maize (Zea mays L.). Shoot dry weight and total leaf area of plants did not increase after inoculation with Glomus fistulosum but were significantly higher than the controls when the plants were dualinoculated with G. fistulosum and living cells of P. putida. Mycorrhizal infection of the roots was significantly higher when plants were inoculated with G. fistulosum together with living cells of P. putida or with G. fistulosum and dialysed cell extracts of P. putida than with G. fistulosum alone. Development of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) extraradical hyphae and the proportion of extraradical hyphae showing NADH diaphorase activity were significantly enhanced by inoculation of plants with living cells of P. putida or dialysed cell extracts of P. putida. No stimulation of extraradical hyphae proliferation from in vitro incubated mycorrhizal root segments was observed after application of culture fractions of P. putida. However, the percentage contamination of the root segments by extraneous filamentous fungi significantly decreased in the presence of livingcells of P. putida. Accepted: 12 January 1996     

THE MYCORRHIZAE OF PIONEER SPECIES IN DISTURBED ECOSYSTEMS IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA

Study plots with ten types of disturbances were established in a Solidago-Aster community in western Pennsylvania. One year after disturbance, 93% of all species had vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) and accounted for 92% of all plant cover. After 3 yr, 96% of the species had VAM and 96% canopy coverage. An adjacent 10-yr Solidago-Aster community had 100% VAM species. The VAM annuals, Ambrosia artemisiifolia and Setaria glauca, were major first year dominants while VAM perennials, Agropyron repens, Solidago canadensis, and Aster ericoides, dominated at 3 yr. The mean percent mycorrhizae of all dominants at 1 yr was 39% and 34% at 3 yr. Four disturbed sites had 100% VAM colonization after 1 yr and six sites after 3 yr. Severe physical disturbances (topsoil removed and topsoil-subsoil removed) resulted in complete colonization by VAM species and mean mycorrhizal infections of more than 75%. The plowed-disked-prometone and plowed-disked-vapam disturbances resulted in low levels of mycorrhizae after 3 yr. The plowed-disked-atrazine plot showed an initial severe decrease in percentage of mycorrhizae, but doubled its infection rate by 3 yr. Three non-mycorrhizal species (Chenopodium album, Rumex acetosella, and Polygonuspersicaria) were observed during the 3-yr period. C. album was the major dominant after 1 yr in the plowed-disked-fertilized site and R. acetosella a dominant in the plowed-disked-prometone plot.     

Studies of iron transport by arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphae from soil to peanut and sorghum plants

 The influence of an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus on phosphorus (P) and iron (Fe) uptake of peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) plants was studied in a pot experiment under controlled environmental conditions. The plants were grown for 10 weeks in pots containing sterilised calcareous soil with two levels of Fe supply. The soil was inoculated with rhizosphere microorganisms only or with rhizosphere microorganisms together with an AM fungus (Glomus mosseae [Nicol. & Gerd.] Gerdemann & Trappe). An additional small soil compartment accessible to hyphae but not roots was added to each pot after 6 weeks of plant growth. Radiolabelled P and Fe were supplied to the hyphae compartment 2 weeks after addition of this compartment. After a further 2 weeks, plants were harvested and shoots were analysed for radiolabelled elements. In both plant species, P uptake from the labelled soil increased significantly more in shoots of mycorrhizal plants than non-mycorrhizal plants, thus confirming the well-known activity of the fungus in P uptake. Mycorrhizal inoculation had no significant influence on the concentration of labelled Fe in shoots of peanut plants. In contrast, ⁵⁹Fe increased in shoots of mycorrhizal sorghum plants. The uptake of Fe from labelled soil by sorghum was particularly high under conditions producing a low Fe nutritional status of the plants. These results are preliminary evidence that hyphae of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus can mobilise and/or take up Fe from soil and translocate it to the plant. Accepted: 6 March 1998     

Colonization and early succession on anthropogenic soils

Abstract. This paper reports on vegetation development on permanent experimental plots during five years of succession. Nine (1 m²) plots were filled with three typical substrates from man-made habitats of urban and industrial areas in the region of Berlin. The three substrates (a commercial ‘topsoil’, a ruderal ‘landfill’ soil and a sandy soil), differ in organic matter and nutrient contents. Relevés of species composition and percent cover of each species present were made monthly during the growing season from the start of vegetation development. This paper describes the different successional pathways on topsoil and ruderal soil and the colonization process on sandy soil. On topsoil, ruderal annuals are dominant in the first year and are replaced by short-lived perennials from the second year. Those species were replaced by long-lived perennial herbs (Ballota nigra or Urtica dioica) from the third year of succession onwards. On the ruderal land-fill soil the early successional stages are less sharp and the perennial Solidago canadensis is able to dominate within one year after the succession was initiated. On sandy soil there is still an ongoing colonization process, where pioneer tree species like Betula pendula and Populus nigra play a main role. The importance of ‘initial floristic composition’, the role of substrate for community structure and the peculiarities of successional sequences on anthropogenic soils in the context of primary and secondary successions are discussed.     

Field response of wheat to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and drought stress

Mycorrhizal plants often have greater tolerance to drought than nonmycorrhizal plants. This study was conducted to determine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculation on growth, grain yield and mineral acquisition of two winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars grown in the field under well-watered and water-stressed conditions. Wheat seeds were planted in furrows after treatment with or without the AM fungi Glomus mosseae or G. etunicatum. Roots were sampled at four growth stages (leaf, tillering, heading and grain-filling) to quantify AM fungi. There was negligible AM fungi colonization during winter months following seeding (leaf sampling in February), when soil temperature was low. During the spring, AM fungi colonization increased gradually. Mycorrhizal colonization was higher in well-watered plants colonized with AM fungi isolates than water-stressed plants. Plants inoculated with G. etunicatum generally had higher colonization than plants colonized with G. mosseae under both soil moisture conditions. Biomass and grain yields were higher in mycorrhizal than nonmycorrhizal plots irrespective of soil moisture, and G. etunicatum inoculated plants generally had higher biomass and grain yields than those colonized by G. mosseae under either soil moisture condition. The mycorrhizal plants had higher shoot P and Fe concentrations than nonmycorrhizal plants at all samplings regardless of soil moisture conditions. The improved growth, yield and nutrient uptake in wheat plants reported here demonstrate the potential of mycorrhizal inoculation to reduce the effects of drought stress on wheat grown under field conditions in semiarid areas of the world.     

Mycorrhizal inoculation effect on nodulation and N accumulation in Cajanus cajan at soil P concentrations sufficient or inadequate for mycorrhiza-free growth

The interaction of Cajanus cajan with Rhizobium and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (VAMF) was investigated in a greenhouse experiment. C. cajan was planted in soil that had been inoculated with Glomus aggregatum or treated with benlate to suppress VAMF activity. Initial soil solution P concentrations of 0.06, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 mg l^-1 were established to test the interaction at external P levels that ranged from inadequate to nonlimiting for the host plant. At 0.06 and 0.2 mg P l^-1, mycorrhizal inoculation significantly increased plant P concentrations as well as nodule numbers and shoot dry weight. Mycorrhizal inoculation also significantly increased nodule dry weight at a soil P concentration of 0.4 mg l^-1 but did not significantly influence any of the other variables. The mycorrhizal inoculation effect observed at this soil solution P concentration could not be explained by any of the measures of plant P status. At 0.8 mg P l^-1, none of the measured variables were affected significantly by mycorrhizal inoculation. The results indicate that the enhanced nodulation associated with mycorrhizal inoculation at soil P concentrations lower than 0.4 mg l^-1 was explainable by mycorrhizal-mediated P uptake. The small but significant increase in nodule mass due to VAMF inoculation at 0.4 mg P l^-1 suggests that factors not related to plant P nutrition may be involved. On the other hand, the lack of a VAMF inoculation effect at 0.8 mg P l^-1 despite VAMF colonization at a level comparable to that observed at the former P concentration appear to discount this hypothesis. This observation is also supported by the lack of response of plant N status and nodule number to VAMF inoculation at this soil P concentration.Contribution from the Hawaii Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Journal Series No.4066     

Growth responses of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal tropical forage species to different levels of soil phosphate

Three tropical forage legumes, Stylosanthes capitata, Pueraria phaseoloides and Centrosema macrocarpum, and one grass, Brachiaria dictyoneura, were grown in a sterile phosphate deficient soil amended with soluble or rock phosphate at rates ranging from 0 to 400 mg kg^-1 soil. The effects of inoculation with Glomus manihotis on mycorrhizal infection and plant growth were assessed. Early growth and nodulation of P. phaseoloides in soil with and without rock phosphate fertilizer were also determined. In the legumes, mycorrhizal infection was high at all P levels and sources, except for a significant decrease of infection in S. capitata at high levels of superphosphate. Plant growth was significantly increased by phosphate fertilizer and mycorrhizal inoculation. Mycorrhizal responses were more pronounced at low P levels with both P sources. In B. dictyoneura mycorrhizal infection was decreased with increasing additions of P. No effects of mycorrhizal inoculation (except with no added P) were observed. Growth and nodulation of P. phaseoloides were greatly stimulated by mycorrhizal inoculation.