Testing the effect of biological control agents on the formation of vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza

A container system for rapid infection of roots with pathogenic or mycorrhizal fungi was used to test the effect of the two commercial biological control agents, Trichoderma harzianum and Streptomyces griseoviridis, on the formation of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza in soybean. In the presence of these biocontrol agents, mycorrhiza formation with Glomus mosseae was significantly depressed, particularly with S. griseoviridis. Infection by the root pathogen Rhizoctonia solani was not altered by these agents. Remarkably, not only R. solani but also T. harzianum induced accumulation of large amounts of the phytoalexin glyceollin in the roots. In contrast, roots inoculated with S. griseoviridis or with the mycorrhizal fungus G. mosseae did not accumulate glyceollin.