Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Prevents Suppression of Actual Nitrification Rates in the (Myco-)Rhizosphere of Plantago lanceolata

The vast majority of herbaceous plants engage into arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbioses and consideration of their mycorrhizal status should be embodied in studies of plant-microbe interactions. To establish reliable AM contrasts, however, a sterilized re-inoculation procedure is commonly adopted....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in土壤圈:英文版 Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 225 - 229
Main Author S. D. VERESOGLOU
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 2012
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Summary:The vast majority of herbaceous plants engage into arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbioses and consideration of their mycorrhizal status should be embodied in studies of plant-microbe interactions. To establish reliable AM contrasts, however, a sterilized re-inoculation procedure is commonly adopted. It was questioned whether the specific approach is sufficient for the studies targeting the bacterial domain, specifically nitrifiers, a group of autotrophic, slow growing microbes. In a controlled experiment mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Plantago lanceolata were grown up in compartmentalized pots to study the AM effect on nitrification rates in the plant rhizosphere. Nitrification rates were assayed following an extensive 3-week bacterial equilibration step of the re-inoculated soil and a 13-week plant growth period in a controlled environment. Under these specific conditions, the nitrification potential levels at harvest were exceptionally low, and actual nitrification rates of the root compartment of non-mycorrhizal P. lanceolata were significantly lower than those of any other compartment. It is then argued that the specific effects should be attributed to the alleged higher growth rates of non-mycorrhizal plants that are known to occur early in the AM experiment. It is concluded that the specific experimental approach is not suitable for the study of microbes with slow growth rates.
Bibliography:ammonia oxidizers, nitrification potential, plant-microbe interaction, root compartment
The vast majority of herbaceous plants engage into arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbioses and consideration of their mycorrhizal status should be embodied in studies of plant-microbe interactions. To establish reliable AM contrasts, however, a sterilized re-inoculation procedure is commonly adopted. It was questioned whether the specific approach is sufficient for the studies targeting the bacterial domain, specifically nitrifiers, a group of autotrophic, slow growing microbes. In a controlled experiment mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Plantago lanceolata were grown up in compartmentalized pots to study the AM effect on nitrification rates in the plant rhizosphere. Nitrification rates were assayed following an extensive 3-week bacterial equilibration step of the re-inoculated soil and a 13-week plant growth period in a controlled environment. Under these specific conditions, the nitrification potential levels at harvest were exceptionally low, and actual nitrification rates of the root compartment of non-mycorrhizal P. lanceolata were significantly lower than those of any other compartment. It is then argued that the specific effects should be attributed to the alleged higher growth rates of non-mycorrhizal plants that are known to occur early in the AM experiment. It is concluded that the specific experimental approach is not suitable for the study of microbes with slow growth rates.
32-1315/P
ISSN:1002-0160
2210-5107