Mycorrhizal fungal population structure in the field

Host preference in dark septate root endophytes of prairie grasses

International audience; Microbiological examination of prairie grass roots usually reveals the presence of diverse mycorrhizal and dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungi. Some of these fungi can enhance plant resistance to abiotic stress in extreme environments. The host specificity of two DSE fungi isolated from pure stands of crested wheatgrass and Russian wildrye in southwest Saskatchewan was assessed in microcosms. Pure cultures of endophytic fungal isolates were obtained after plating surface sterile root pieces on Potato dextrose agar. Plugs containing these fungi were used to individually inoculate germinated surface sterile seeds of crested wheatgrass and Russian wildrye, and control p…