Publication Date

1997

Description

With increased interest in sustainable agriculture, attention has focused on the role of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) in the productivity of agricultural systems. AM spores were taken from grassland and grass-arable systems with either a history of high-input, conventional, or low-input, organic management, and used as a source of inoculum in host plants (Allium amelioprasum, Trifolium repens and Lolium perenne). Spores from organic management systems produced a greater yield response than those from conventional systems. Where various spore inoculum produced differences in host growth responses, it was observed that the infected root of these host plants also produced similar responses when used as a further source of inoculum. This indicated that differential effects of AM from organic and conventional systems are not solely related to differences in spore quality as a result of direct effects of conventional management (e.g. use of fertilisers or fungicides) but also to long term changes in AM populations.

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Effectivity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizas in Sustainable Grassland Agriculture Following Conversion from Intensive Management

With increased interest in sustainable agriculture, attention has focused on the role of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) in the productivity of agricultural systems. AM spores were taken from grassland and grass-arable systems with either a history of high-input, conventional, or low-input, organic management, and used as a source of inoculum in host plants (Allium amelioprasum, Trifolium repens and Lolium perenne). Spores from organic management systems produced a greater yield response than those from conventional systems. Where various spore inoculum produced differences in host growth responses, it was observed that the infected root of these host plants also produced similar responses when used as a further source of inoculum. This indicated that differential effects of AM from organic and conventional systems are not solely related to differences in spore quality as a result of direct effects of conventional management (e.g. use of fertilisers or fungicides) but also to long term changes in AM populations.