Effect of the saprophytic fungus Fusarium oxysporum on arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization and growth of plants in greenhouse and field trials

FRACCHIA, S., GARCÍA-ROMERA, I., GODEAS, A. & OCAMPO, J.A.

PLANT AND SOIL

springer

Lugar: berlin; Año: 2000 vol. 223 p. 175 - 184

0032-079X

Effects of the saprophytic fungus Fusarium oxysporum on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization and plant dry matter were studied in greenhouse and field experiments. Host plants: maize, sorghum, lettuce, tomato, wheat, lentil and pea, the AM fungi: Glomus mosseae, G. fasciculatum, G. intraradices, G. clarum and G. deserticola and the carriers for F. oxysporum inoculum: aqueous solution, thin agar slices, and pellets of agar and alginate were tested under greenhouse conditions. Under field conditions, adding F. oxysporum increased the survival of transplanted pea, possibly through a beneficial effect on AM fungi. Application of F. oxysporum increased shoot dry matter, N and P concentrations of pea and sorghum plants. These parameters were similar in plants inoculated with either G. deserticola or with the indigenous AM fungi in field plots in which pea was grown, but this increase was not sufficient to increase AM colonization of sorghum after the pea crop.