No abstract

No abstract

Perennial ryegrass and red clover were grown in low-P soil in separate compartments within rhizoboxes. The compartments were separated by 30-µm pore nylon mesh and a buffer compartment to prevent root-to-root contact but allow hyphal penetration. Both plant species were established as donor and receiver plants. Donors were inoculated with an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus, Glomus mosseae, forming hyphal links between donors and receivers. Two rates of P (50 and 100 mg P kg -1 ) were applied to the soil in the receiver compartments. All other compartments received 50 mg P kg -1 . In one experiment 32 P tracer was applied to the roots of the donors after 6 weeks' growth to detect P transfer from donors to receivers. In a second experiment, plants harvested 2 weeks later were examined for root AM colonisation, shoot yield and P uptake. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculation of donor roots led to increased yield, P concentration and P uptake of receiver shoots. Shoot P concentrations were higher in non-mycorrhizal ryegrass than in non-mycorrhizal clover. The 32 P tracer study showed a lower apparent P transfer rate from ryegrass to clover than from clover to ryegrass despite a comparable amount of P transferred. Internal P requirements of the host plants may influence P transfer rates. The AM hyphae formed an important link between the plants but no appreciable net transfer of P was likely to occur.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract