Investigation of the mycorrhizal status of some predominant plants

Forty-one soil and root samples from the rhizosphere of some dominant plants of deserts of Semnan province (NE Iran) were collected and examined in this survey. No mycorrhizal symbiosis was found in 24% of the collected plants, while in 76% of them mycorrhizal symbiosis was detected as fungal structures in roots or AMF spores in soils. The highest degree of colonization (76%) was found near the roots of Prosopis faveta (Mimosaceae). Roots of some other plants like Aeluropus lagopoides and Atriplex leucoclada were found in both conditions of colonized or non-colonized with AMF, meanwhile the roots of Tamarix aphylla, an economically important plant were found highly colonized (26%). Fourteen species of AMF were identified as below: Claroideoglomus etunicatum, Funneliformis geosporus, F. mosseae, Gigaspora albida, Glomus aggregatum, Gl. albidum, Gl. ambisporum, Gl. diaphanum, Gl. macrocarpum, Gl. microaggregatum, Paraglomus occultum, Racocetra fulgida, Rhizophagus fasciculatus and Rh. Manihotis. Glomus aggregatum (24.4%), Claroideoglomus etunicatum (22%) and Rhizophagus fasciculatus (19.5%) then Gigaspora albida (14.6%) and G. ambisporum (14.6%)had the most frequency of occurrence in the examined soil samples respectively.