Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: AMF and their interactions with turfgrass species
By Florence Sessoms
In the first part of this series, I described what arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are and how they can benefit plants. In this post, I will discuss how AMF might benefit turfgrasses. Cool-season and warm-season grasses are both able to be infected with mycorrhizal fungi. A quick literature review showed that several benefits of AMF were observed with turfgrasses such as improved biomass, nutrient content, decrease in weed incidence and disease severity (Table 1).
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: tiny friends with big impact
By Florence Sessoms
What are they?
Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) are soil microorganisms able to form mutualistic symbiosis with most terrestrial plants. Spores that are present in soil germinate, infect the root system, and form arbuscule structures inside the cells (Figure 1). Arbuscules are the site of nutrients exchange between the plant and the fungi. Another characteristic of this symbiosis is the presence of a large mycorrhizal network around the root system.