Summary
To investigate the effect of indigenous VAM fungi and of increasing the amount of natural inoculum barley was grown in containers buried in the field with uninoculated and inoculated irradiated soil and with uninoculated and inoculated untreated soil from two locations, one low and one high in available P. The experiment was set up with 3 P fertilizer applications (0, 15, 30 kg P/ha). Growth and uptake of P was measured. The inocula were prepared from natural VAM populations.
VAM fungal infection was established in the irradiated soil at a lower level than in the untreated soil. VAM fungal infection was decreased by increasing P fertilizer application. In the soil low in available P VAM increased concentration of P and total uptake of P. VAM did not cause an increased growth. The reason for this may be the low establishment of VAM in the irradiated soil and/or because the indigenous VAM species were not efficient. It is also possible that a pronounced growth increase due to irradiation the soil may have masked a smaller effect of the indigenous VAM fungi. Increasing the amount of natural inoculum in the untreated soil influenced neither VAM frequency nor growth.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ambler J R and Young J L 1977 Techniques for determining root length infected by vesiculararbuscular mycorrhizae. Soil. Sci. Soc. Am. J. 41, 551–556.
Black R and Tinker P B 1979 The development of endomycorrhizal root systems. II. Effect of agronomic factors and soil conditions on the development of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal infection in barley and on the endophyte spore density. New Phytol. 83, 401–413.
Clarke C and Mosse B 1981 Plant growth responses to vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza. XII. Field inoculation responses of barley at two soil P levels. New Phytol. 87, 695–703.
Gerdemann J W 1975 Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae.In The Development and Function of Roots. Eds. J G Torrey and D T Clarkson. Academic Press, London, p 575–591.
Jakobson I and Andersen A J 1982 Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza and growth in barley: effects of irradiation and heating of soil. Soil Biol. Biochem. 14, 171–178.
Jakobsen I and Jensen A 1981 Influence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza and straw mulch on growth of barley. Plant and Soil 62, 157–161.
Jensen A 1982 Influence of four vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on nutrient uptake and growth in barley (Hordeum vulgare). New Phytol. 90, 45–50.
Jensen A 1983 Efficiency of different vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in relation to nutrient uptake and growth in barley. (In preparation).
Jensen A and Jakobsen I 1980 The occurrence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza in barley and wheat grown in some Danish soils with different fertilizer treatments. Plant and Soil 55, 403–414.
Nie N H, Hull C H, Jenkins J G, Steinbrenner K and Bent D H 1975 Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Owusu-Bennoah E and Mosse B 1979 Plant growth responses to vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza. XI. Field inoculation responses in barley, lucerne and onion. New Phytol. 83, 671–679.
Phillips J M and Hayman D S 1970 Improved procedures for clearing roots and staining parasitic and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for rapid assessment of infection. Trans. Br. Mycol. Soc. 55, 158–160.
Powell C Ll 1981 Inoculation of barley with efficient mycorrhizal fungi stimulates seed yield. Plant and Soil 59, 487–489.
Saif S R and Khan A G 1977 The effect of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal associations on growth of cereals. III. Effects on barley growth. Plant and Soil 47, 17–26.
Sibbesen E 1977 A simple ion-exchange resin procedure for extracting plant-available elements from soil. Plant and Soil 46, 665–669.
StJohn T V 1980 Root size, root hairs and mycorrhizal infection: A re-examination of Baylis's hypothesis with tropical trees. New Phytol. 84, 483–487.
Stribley D P, Tinker P B and Rayner J H 1980 Relation of internal phosphorus concentration and plant weight in plants infected by vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas. New Phytol. 86, 261–266.
Yamane T 1973 Statistics; an Introductory Analysis. Harper and Row, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jensen, A. The effect of indigenous vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on nutrient uptake and growth of barley in two Danish soils. Plant Soil 70, 155–163 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374776
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374776