BACKGROUND Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are known for their beneficial effects on plants. However, there is increasing evidence that some ruderal plants, including several agricultural weeds, respond negatively to AMF colonization. Here, we investigated the effect of AMF on the growth of individual weed species and on weed-crop interactions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS First, under c...

Functional differences between the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Glomus intraradices Schenk and Smith and Scutellospora heterogama Nicolson and Gerdemann as they affect Persea americana Mill. growth, glomalin, and fungal sporulation were examined by varying the composition and relative density of the two fungi over a gradient of available phosphorus (P). The plant benefit provided by these mycor...

The poor quality and low productivity of cultivated liquorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) continues to put pressure on wild plant populations. As arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are known to support plant growth and in some cases even to enhance the accumulation of valuable molecules in the plant, the effect of Glomus mosseae on the growth and active ingredient contents was evaluated in liquorice plan...

Application to the soil of the insecticide dimethoate had no effect on the growth of soybean colonized by the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Glomus mosseae and by the indigenous AM fungus. The application of the recommended concentration of dimethoate decreased the percentage of colonization of soybean by the indigenous AM population, but no significant effect was observed on the colonizati...

Because of the high genetic variability of the nuclear-encoded ribosomal RNA genes within single spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF, Glomeromycota), new alternative marker genes are needed to better resolve closely related taxa. Based on published nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit (mt-LSU), new fungal-specific primers were constructed and successfully us...

The potential of three arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) - Glomus mosseae, G. fasciculatum and G. intraradices- to enhance the production of essential oil and plant growth parameter was investigated in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). The AMF inoculation significantly increased plant height, fresh and dry matter yield, oil content and oil yield as compared to non-inoculated basil plants. Essent...