1. In the conventional view of soil carbon (C) cycling, mycorrhizal fungi are primarily considered vectors for plant C input to soils. However, there is accumulating evidence that mycorrhizal fungi may also contribute to the direct loss of soil C by acting as decomposers, that is by producing extracellular lytic enzymes and metabolizing soil C. 2. Most of the evidence that mycorrhizal fungi can...

* The influence of carbohydrate availability to mycorrhizal roots on uptake, metabolism and translocation of phosphate (P) by the fungus was examined in axenic cultures of transformed carrot (Daucus carota) roots in symbiosis with Glomus intraradices. * 14C-labelled carbohydrates, 33P-phosphate and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis were used to follow the uptake and transfer of C and P in t...

Low phosphorus availability is often a primary constraint to plant productivity in native soils. Here we test the hypothesis that root carbon costs are a primary limitation to plant growth in low P soils by assessing the effect of P availability and mycorrhizal infection on whole plant C budgets in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Plants were grown in solid-phase-buffered silica sand provid...

mycorrhizal symbiosis increase nutrient uptake and enhance plant growth by elaborating root system. the positive effects of mycorrhizal symbiosis on the growth, physiology and ecology of various plants have been recognized. the symbiotic relations between mycorrhizal fungi and date palm with regard to nutrient uptake by this plant have not yet been explored and studied in iran. this project was...

Abundant data on the effect of flavonoids on spore germination, hyphal growth and root colonization by AMF are available. Moreover, the flavonoid pattern in mycorrhizal roots changes, thus flavonoids have been suggested as arbuscular mycorrhizal signalling compounds. In our work we studied the accumulation of flavonoids in roots of Medicago sativa i) after the exposure of uncolonized roots to s...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis often stimulates gas exchange rates of the host plant. This may relate to mycorrhizal effects on host nutrition and growth rate, or the influence may occur independently of these. Using meta-regression, we tested the strength of the relationship between AM-induced increases in gas exchange, and AM size and leaf mineral effects across the literature. With on...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can interconnect plant root systems through hyphal common mycorrhizal networks, which may influence the distribution of limiting mineral nutrients among interconnected individuals, potentially affecting competition and consequent size inequality. Using a microcosm model system, we investigated whether the members of Andropogon gerardii monocultures compete via commo...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can be beneficial for horticultural crops due to their nutrient acquisition properties and stimulation of the plant metabolism. The present work focuses on the prospects of AM fungi a) to solve plant nutritional problems, b) to induce flower development of ornamental plants, and c) to improve the health potential of crop plants for humans. Contribution of AM fu...