Academic literature on the topic 'Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF)'

The occurrence in Scotland of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) infective on Alnus glutinosa and the effects on early growth of inoculation of seedlings with AMF and Frankia were investigated. AMF characteristic of G/omiw-like fungi were detected microscopically in A. glutinosa roots from mineral and loam but not from highly organic soils. Both GJomus- and Gigaspora-like fungi were detected only in roots from sandy soils. Glasshouse experiments showed that Glomus and Gigaspora species gave higher colonisation of roots, and were of higher compatibility with the host plant, than Acutelospora or Scutettospora species. Colonisation by AMF increased nodulation by Frankia and vice versa. Inoculation with AMF alone and dual inoculation with Gigaspora rosea and Frankia inhibited growth of young A. glutinosa seedlings. Initially after inoculation, AMF colonisation was poor allowing the host to meet the requirements of both developing symbioses. Mycorrhizal plants inoculated with Frankia 15 days after AMF inoculation, were under significant stress and this delayed the beneficial effects of AMF and Frankia symbiosis. Seedlings compensated for the cost of symbiosis by developing a larger, leafy shoot in a period of 25-30 days after AMF inoculation, with or with out, Frankia nodulation. A significant increase in root length and branching detected after inoculation with AMF and Frankia must impose additional energy requirements. However, the stimulation of lateral root branching that follows AMF colonisation may facilitate nutrient uptake, thus helping the plant to overcome the disadvantages of early retardation of shoot growth. Competition with adjacent plant species for below ground space may also be enhanced thus facilitating competition for growing space with other plant species. These factors may be part of a strategy that assists the survival of very young seedlings in the field. The data obtained suggest that delaying Frankia inoculation for 3-4 weeks after inoculation with selected AMF should improve the production in Scottish nurseries of robust, well nodulated and mycorrhizal seedlings.

Stretches of forest along the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers have been classified as a unique forest type in the vegetation of South Africa and are considered as being "critically endangered" by the South African Biodiversity Institute. Roughly 400 hectares of this riverine forest area inside the western section of the Mapungubwe National Park (MNP), a UNESCO World Heritage site, were deforested and therefore degraded due to previous agricultural cultivation practices. Given the extent of forest degradation that has occurred, the restoration of this area by means of the re–vegetation of indigenous trees to its former composition is one of the objectives of the MNP's management plan. The successful establishment of tree seedlings, especially in semi–arid systems, is however presented with a wide range of constraints and limiting conditions, which often result in very high mortality rates during restoration projects. An experimental exclosure, as identified by South African National Parks (SANParks), was therefore fenced off inside the degraded old lands to act as a demonstration site for the restoration of indigenous trees. A pilot study conducted in 2006, involved the transplantation of selected indigenous tree species with the aim of evaluating suitable re–vegetation technologies. The research contained in this dissertation was also conducted inside the experimental exclosure, where recommendations derived from the pilot study were evaluated, including the assessment of new re–vegetation technologies to enhance the establishment of the indigenous trees. This study was therefore a follow–up project which involved both field– and greenhouse trials. Seedlings of the following species were either transplanted into the experimental exclosure (field trial) or cultivated inside a controlled environment in the greenhouse at the North–West University: Acacia xanthophloea Benth. (fever tree), Berchemia discolor (Klotzsch) Hemsl. (brown–ivory), Combretum imberbe Wawra (leadwood), Faidherbia albida (Delile) A. Chev. (ana tree), Philenoptera violacea (Klotzsch) Schrire (apple–leaf), Salvadora australis Schweick. (narrow–leaved mustard tree) and Xanthocercis zambesiaca (Baker) Dumaz–le–Grand (nyala tree). During the follow–up study the effects of various enhancement treatments were tested regarding the survival, growth and physiological performance of seedlings in both the field– and greenhouse trials. The enhancement treatments consisted of the addition of compost and indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). In addition, seedlings transplanted during the pilot study, which did not include enhancement treatments, were also monitored for establishment and growth. The potential use of established Acacia tortilis Hayne trees to facilitate growth and establishment and to act as "nursing plants", was also assessed. In addition, various pre–sowing treatments were also applied to seeds of selected tree species in the greenhouse to assess the germination rate. The survivorship and growth of seedlings in both the field– and greenhouse trial were determined by using three growth parameters, namely "stem diameter at the base", "stem diameter 30 cm from the base", and "height of the tree in its natural growth form". Chlorophyll fluorescence induction (JIP test) was measured on seedlings in both trials, using the multi–parametric expression, namely performance index (PIABS), as a measure of the overall vitality of the plants of each species–treatment combination. Physical and chemical analyses were carried out on the soil inside the experimental exclosure. Basic descriptive statistics were used to analyse seedling survival and germination rates, and a two–way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the statistical significant effects of the various enhancement treatments on diameter growth in each species (p < 0.05). Fluorescence data were processed using the Biolyzer software and significant effects in each species were determined using the Student's t–test (p < 0.05). Multivariate data ordinations using the CANOCO package were used to determine the differences in soil types inside the experimental exclosure. Moisture stress due to transplantation shock, competition with dense grass cover and herbivory, resulted in an overall 55.8% seedling survival rate and negative stem diameter growth for transplanted seedlings in the field. In comparison, seedlings cultivated in the greenhouse had much higher survival rates and showed positive stem diameter growth. Most species in the greenhouse showed higher growth rates and significantly higher vitality values when planted with enhancement treatments. The responses of transplanted seedlings to the enhancement treatments were very species–specific in the field trials. Based on these results, it was concluded that the enhancement treatments were beneficial with regard to the establishment and growth of most of the species. The beneficial effect was however cancelled out by the various abiotic and biotic factors encountered in the natural environment. Seedlings transplanted in the understory of established pioneer A. tortilis trees had much lower survival rates as the extensive root system of A. tortilis most likely out–competed the transplanted seedlings for moisture and nutrients. Many seedlings were also predated by insects or small mammals which reduced the growing potential. The germination trials recorded the highest germination rates for most species when germinated in the compost–containing treatments. These trials also indicated that all of the investigated species showed higher survival rates when pre–sowing treatments, such as soaking, mechanical scarification and removing the seed from fruit, were applied. Various recommendations emphasising long–term monitoring, proper maintenance and after–care of future restoration efforts are made. These include experimental layout of exclosure plots and pretransplantation treatments of seedlings while cultivated in the nursery. During this study, the experimental exclosure was also used as a demonstration site for training and capacity building for SANParks personnel and students from academic institutions.<br>Thesis (M.Sc. (Environmental Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-05-25Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:05:01Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 russomanno_omr_dr_botfca.pdf: 951502 bytes, checksum: 65ab95dd8d5f795650c7b83e6aa5b10f (MD5)<br>Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)<br>Secretaria Agricultura<br>O objetivo do presente trabalho visou avaliar a influência dos FMA Glomus etunicatum Becker & Gerd. e Glomus clarum Nicol. & Schenck, no desenvolvimento de plantas de alecrim e manjericão, bem como verificar a capacidade destas plantas micorrizadas em superar os danos causados pelo fungo Fusarium oxysporum Schecht. Plantas de alecrim (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) e de manjericão (Ocimum basilicum L.) foram inoculadas, separadamente, com G. etunicatum e G. clarum, em casa de vegetação, com temperatura de 26 l 20C e luminosidade de 3000 Lux. Utilizou-se substrato autoclavado composto por uma parte de areia e uma de terra; o inóculo constou de esporos [500 esporos de G.etunicatum (50 mL-1) de solo e 700 esporos de G.clarum (50 mL-1) de solo] e ainda fragmentos de raízes infectadas e micélio. Em cada tipo de planta inoculada foram avaliadas as seguintes variáveis: altura das plantas (AP), peso da matéria seca da parte aérea (MSPA), peso da matéria fresca das raízes (MFR), esporulação (E), colonização radicular (CR) e teor de macro e micronutrientes no substrato e nas plantas (TMm). Foi avaliada também a influência de G. etunicatum e G. clarum no controle de F. oxysporum em plantas de alecrim e manjericão. A inoculação do patógeno (concentração de 5 x 103 esporos mL-1) foi realizada, separadamente, em plantas de alecrim e de manjericão com 90 dias de micorrização (5 vasos com G. etunicatum e 5 vasos com G. clarum) e ainda plantas testemunhas, não micorrizadas (5 vasos). No alecrim, G. clarum mostrou-se significativamente mais eficiente do que G. etunicatum em AP, MSPA e E; por outro lado, G. clarum apresentou CR menor do que G. etunicatum. Em relação às plantas testemunha, G. clarum diferiu significativamente destas em 2 todos as variáveis analisadas, porém G. etunicatum não diferiu estatisticamente das plantas testemunha em AP e MSPA. No manjericão, em relação... .<br>The purpose of the present work had the objective of evaluating the influence of AMF Glomus etunicatum Becker & Gerd. and Glomus clarum Nicol. & Schenck on the rosemary and basil plants development and also concerning the capacity of the mycorrhizal plants in resisting the wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum Schecht. For that, rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) plants were previously inoculated with G. etunicatum and G. clarum in greenhouse under the temperature of 26 l 20C and luminosity of 3000 Lux. The soil was sterilized and composed by one part of sand and one part of earth. The inoculum was composed by the fungi spores [500 spores of G. etunicatum in (50 mL-1) soil and 700 spores of G. clarum in (50 mL-1) soil] and micelium and roots fragments infected by the AMF. In each plant inoculated the following variables were evaluated: plant height (PH), plant dry weigt (PDW), roots fresh weight (RFW), sporulation rate (SR), root mycorrhizal percentage (RMP) and macro and micronutrients level (MmL) present in the plants and in the soil. The G. clarum and G. etunicatum influence in the control of F. oxysporum wilt in both plants was also evaluated. The inoculation of the pathogen (5x103 spores mL-1) was separatety realized in the rosemary and basil plants after 90 days of the mycorrhization (5 pots of G. clarum and 5 pots of G. etunicatum); the control was also composed by 5 pots without mycorrhization. In the rosemary, G. clarum was significantely more efficient than G. etunicatum in the variables PH, RFW and SR; although G. clarum 4 presented RMP smaller than G. etunicatum. In relation to the control, G. clarum was significably better to the plants in all the variables, although G. etunicatum do not differed statistically for the control plants in PH and PDW. For basil in all the analised variables G. clarum differed statistically from G. etunicatum and was similar to the control treatment in all the variables.

The study examined interactions between morogo plants, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Fusarium species. Morogo refers to traditional leafy vegetables that, together with maize porridge, are dominant staple foods in rural areas of the Limpopo Province such as the Dikgale Demographic Surveillance Site (DDSS). Morogo plants grow either as weeds (often among maize), occur naturally in the field or are cultivated as subsistence crops by rural communities. Botanical species of morogo plants consumed in the DDSS were determined. Colonisation of morogo plant roots by AMF and Fusarium species composition in the immediate soil environment were investigated in four of eight DDSS subsistence communities, Isolated AMF were shown to belong to the genera Acaulospora and Glomus. Twelve Fusarium species were isolated from soil among which Fusariurn verticilliodes and Fusarium proliferaturn occurred predominantly. Greenhouse pot trials were conducted to examine the effect of AMF on morogo plant growth (cowpea; Mgna unguiculata) and Fusarium proliferatum levels in soil, Interaction between plants and AMF, as well as tripartite interactions of cowpea plants, AMF and Fusarium proliferatum were investigated. Non-inoculated cowpea plants served as controls for the following inoculations of cowpea in pots: (i) Fusarium proliferatum; (ii) commercial AMF from Mycoroot (PTY) Ltd. (a mixture of selected indigenous Glomus spp referred to commercial AMF for the purpose of this study); (iii) indigenous AMF obtained from DDSS soil (referred to iocal AMF for the purpose of this study); (iv) commercial AMF plus Fusarium proliferatum; (v) local AMF plus Fusariurn proliferatum. Results showed reduced root colonization by local as well as commercial AMF when Fusarium proliferatum were present. Local AMF significantly enhanced cowpea growth while commercial AMF apparently reduced the level of Fusarium proliferatum in the rhizosphere and surrounding soil. Results suggest that AMF may have potential as biological growth enhancers and bioprotective agents against Fusarium proliferatum.<br>Thesis (M. Environmental Science (Water Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.