The growth of Eucalyptus regnans seedlings in forest soil is enhanced when it has been air-dried. In undried forest soil seedlings grow poorly and develop purple coloration in the foliage, indicating P deficiency. This paper reports the results of pot experiments designed to investigate the relationship between growth and P acquisition, ectomycorrhizal infection and age of seedlings grown in air-dried and undried soil. The effect on seedling growth of their inoculation with air-dried or undried soil or with ectomycorrhizal roots from plants growing in air-dried or undried soil was also investigated. Ectomycorrhizal root tips were detected in 3-week-old E. regnans seedlings in both air-dried and undried soil, and from then on the frequency of ectomycorrhizal root tips increased rapidly. In air-dried soil, seedlings were fully ectomycorrhizal at 9 weeks, and the occurrence of maximum ectomycorrhizal infection coincided with enhanced P acquisition and the initiation of rapid seedling growth.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.