010 Colonization Potential of Ornamental Plants by Two Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi
While the majority of terrestial plants are colonized in soils by vesicular-arbuscular fungi (AM), that does not mean that these species can form a symbiosis with AM fungi in an artificial substrate under commercial production conditions. The purpose of this study was to identify those plants having a colonization potential. In Mar. 1998, 51 species and cultivars of ornamental plants were inoculated with two vesicular-arbuscular fungi (Glomus intraradices Schenk & Smith, and Glomus etunicatum Becker & Gerdemann; Premier Tech, Rivière-du-Loup, Quèbec). Periodic evaluations of colonization were done 5, 7, 9, 12, and 16 weeks after seeding. More than 59% of these plants tested were shown to have a good colonization potential with G. intraradices. Species belonging to the Compositae and Labiatae families all colonized. Species in the Solanaceae family showed slight to excellent colonization. Several species studied belonging to the Amaranthaceae, Capparidaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Cruciferae, Gentianaceae, Myrtaceae et Portulaceae families were not colonized. Root colonization with G. etunicatum was not detected on these species and cultivars during this short experimental period.