VIEW ARTICLE

Mycorrhiza Symposium

Influence of Soils and Fertility on Activity and Survival of Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi. D. S. Hayman, Soil Microbiology Department, Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ. England. Phytopathology 72:1119-1125. Copyright 1982 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-72-1119.

The group of fungi that form vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizae are among the most common soil fungi and probably infect more plant tissue than any other fungal group (1 2). Increased recognition of this situation has attracted many plant pathologists to work on VA mycorrhiza, along with other plant scientists interested particularly in the frequently beneficial interaction between VA mycorrhizal fungi and their plant hosts. The advance of these fungi from their first appearance in the fossil record to present-day occupation of most geographical regions, habitats, and plant species is evidence of phenomenally successful activity and survival. These aspects will be examined in this review with emphasis on the ways that soils and soil fertility influence the ecology and symbiotic behavior of VA mycorrhizal fungi.