Friday, February 5, 2010

Where can you find Mycorrhizal Fungi?

can you guys also give me the common term for this type of fungus?Where can you find Mycorrhizal Fungi?
Mycorrhiza, especially the Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhiza or in short VAM, is non specific, meaning it has a very wide host range and it can infect or symbiosise with more than 90% of vascular plants. The fungus penetrates through the cortex layer of the root tissue. The presence of the fungus can be detected by the special structure called the vesicles.





If you are just wanted to look for VAN, you have to do it through histology.





Take samples of roots, any plant, either cultivated or wild growing plant. Wash them, until very clean. Stained the root with common stain such as cotton blue for 20-30 min.





Wash the stained root with running water for 1-2 minutes. Put the cleaned, stained root in between two microscope slides, squash it and look under microscope under low power (10x10).





Look for the special structure called vesicles, usually the heavily stained mass. Spores, usually black or brown in color, can also be found along the mycelium within the plant root tissue.





If you want to isolate VAM, you have to use suitable host to trap the VAM, Usually a graminae plant, Setaria ancep is used to trap the VAM by planting the plant in pots or plastic bags, using soils you suspected to contain VAN.





In the presence of VAN, the mycorrhiza will inoculate the roots of the S. ancep, either with its spore or its mycelium. After 8-10 weeks, harvest the roots and treat the way being described above. If you want to multiply the mycorrhizal inoculum, you can use the entire soil in your pot or plastic bags, where you grow your trap plant, as your source of inoculum.





Most vegetables can be used as the trap plan. Tomato is also a good host.





There ara also different type of mycorrhizal fungus called ectomycorrhizal fungi, in which the mycelium do not penetrate into the tissue, instead, just wrap aound the root tissue.Where can you find Mycorrhizal Fungi?
Mycorrhiza is split into to groups termed the ectomycorrhizas and endomycorrhizas. The two groups are differentiated by the fact that the hyphae of ectomycorrhizal (ecto = out) fungi do not penetrate individual cells within the root, while the hyphae of endomycorrhizal (endo = in) fungi penetrate the cellular walls.


can you be more specific with you question. I am not sure if this is what you are looking for.
ummmm mycorrhizal fungi is commonly called....mycorhizal fungi.


myco=fungi and rhizoid= roots....so you find them on the roots of plants and help the plant.....i am sure you can find out more on this wonderful thing we call the internet!
between michelle m's toes

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