Influence of the dual arbuscularendomycorrhizal / ectomycorrhizal symbiosison the growth of <i>Acacia holosericea</i>(A. Cunn. ex G. Don) in glasshouse conditions

Abstract

Acacia holosericea plants were inoculated with a strain of Glomus aggregatum IR27 (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus), Pisolithus tinctorius COI024 (ectomycorrhizal fungus) or with both fungi. Each fungus inoculated alone stimulated plant growth (height and shoot biomass). The response to the dual inoculation was greater than the response to either inoculant one. It may be due to the fact that the co-inoculated plants formed nodules through contaminations. However these nodules are inefficient as the N concentrations were similar in leaves of all inoculated plants with mycorrhizal fungi, alone and together. In thus, P, Ca, K, Mg and Na concentrations were not improved with respect to dual inoculation. The ectomycorrhizal colonization was significantly higher in the dually inoculated treatment than in either of the singly inoculated treatments.