Influence of Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on the Nodulation and Growth of Subclover

Abstract

This study was initiated to determine the influence of vesiculararbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi on a rhizobium-legume interaction. Inoculation of subclover with Glomus fasciculatus resulted in 2 times as many rhizobium nodules on roots as on nonmycorrhizal controls. Inoculation with Glomus mosseae resulted in 1.4 times greater nodule formation compared to the noninoculated controls. Plants inoculated with G. mosseae + G. fasciculatus had 1.9 times more nodules than the controls. Furthermore, inoculation with G. fasciculatus or G. mosseae + G. fasciculatus resulted in shoot weights and total plant weights nearly double that of the controls. The conclusion is that inoculation with the correct VAM fungal species is as important as the selection of the rhizobium species for subclover growth and development.