Occurrence of endomycorrhizas in soils of the mackenzie basin, canterbury, New Zealand

Abstract

Fifteen grasses and 14 legume species from a range of soils and with varying fertiliser histories were examined; all were mycorrhizal. Very high levels of mycorrhizal infection were recorded in sown legumes in fertilised soils. Two mycorrhizal fungi, Acaulospora laevis and Glomus fasciculatus, were identified from soil-borne spores and a third, Rhizophagus tenuis, by its vegetative hyphae. It is suggested that endophyte-host relationships vary between parasitism and mutualism depending on soil available-phosphorus levels. © 1975 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.