Preliminary studies on the occurrence and infectivity of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in some Ghanaian soils

Asmah, A.E., Department of Soil Science, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

Preliminary studies on the occurrence and infectivity of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in some Ghanaian soils

1991

Asmah, A.E., Department of Soil Science, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

The occurrence and infectivity of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza1 (VAM) fungi in three soils from the rainforest zone and the coastal savanna zone of Ghana was investigated. Wet-sieving and density gradient centrifugation methods were used to isolate and recover the propagules of the fungi in the soils. Fungal spores were examined microscopically and classified into the known genera. The infectivity of the VAM fungi present in the soils was determined by the most probable number (MPN) method using a two fold dilutiQn series with onion as the test plant. Spores of VAM fungi in the genera Glomus and Gigaspora were found in all the soils. The infectivity of fungi present ranged from 0.4 to 4.4 propagules per gram of soil. The presence of VAM fungi which belonged to the same taxa in the different soil environments was indicative of some degree of adaptation by the fungi mycobionts.

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