1,721,039 research outputs found
Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal infection of lucerne roots in a cellulose-amended soil.
No full textLucerne plants inoculated with vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were grown in pots in a sandy soil amended or not amended with cellulose. Whatever the endophyte or cellulose sources used, the rate of VAM colonization was lower in amended soil. The inhibition of VAM infection increased with the cellulose concentration in the soil. Sequential harvest experiments showed a clear reduction of root colonization from the early stages of plant growth. The effectiveness of cellulose in reducing VAM colonization was influenced by the addition of N fertilizer
The protein pattern of spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: comparison of species, isolates and physiological stages
No full textSpore proteins of different species and isolates of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi were compared by PAGE. Reproducibility of protein patterns was assessed by using cultures of the same species either grown on different host plants, or produced during successive propagation cycles and stored up to 5 years. The results consistently showed that host species, different generations and storage, did not affect protein profiles, thus validating the accuracy of the method. Comparison among different geographical isolates of the same species revealed consistent protein patterns. The stability and diversity of spore protein profiles suggested that PAGE could be used to discriminate and identify AM fungal species and isolates. By contrast, the physiological state of spores affected the quality and quantity of bands, with germinating spores showing marked profile changes, as compared to quiescent spores, both in denaturating and native analytical conditions. The disappearance of some polypeptides in germinated spores might be related to the occurrence of storage proteins in AM fungi
Beneficial mycorrhizal symbionts affecting the production of health-promoting phytochemicals
No full textFresh fruits and vegetables are largely investigated for their content in vitamins, mineral nutrients, dietary fibers, and plant secondary metabolites, collectively called phytochemicals, which play a beneficial role in human health. Quantity and quality of phytochemicals may be detected by using different analytical techniques, providing accurate quantification and identification of single molecules, along with their molecular structures, and allowing metabolome analyses of plant-based foods. Phytochemicals concentration and profiles are affected by biotic and abiotic factors linked to plant genotype, crop management, harvest season, soil quality, available nutrients, light, and water. Soil health and biological fertility play a key role in the production of safe plant foods, as a result of the action of beneficial soil microorganisms, in particular of the root symbionts arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. They improve plant nutrition and health and induce changes in secondary metabolism leading to enhanced biosynthesis of health-promoting phytochemicals, such as polyphenols, carotenoids, flavonoids, phytoestrogens, and to a higher activity of antioxidant enzymes. In this review we discuss reports on health-promoting phytochemicals and analytical methods used for their identification and quantification in plants, and on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi impact on fruits and vegetables nutritional and nutraceutical value
The occurrence of calcofluor and lectin binding polysaccharides in the outer wall of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spores
No full textThe hyaline outer wall of some spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is of important diagnostic value in identifying species but little is known about the chemical characteristics of this wall. With the use of the fluorochrome calcofluor and of the fluorescein-conjugated lectin wheat germ agglutinin we observed that chitin is one of the main components of the hyaline outer wall of four species of Glomus, and that neither chemical nor enzymic treatments of the spores were capable of changing the binding properties of this polysaccharide
Mycorrhizal symbioses affect the production of health-promoting metabolites in host plants.
No full textUnraveling soil fertility dilemma by smallholders in sub-saharan Africa: do arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi have a role to play?
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Morphological, cytochemical, and ontogenetic characteristics of a new species of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus
No full textThe new species of endomycorrhizal fungus Glomus coronatum Giovannetti is described using morphological, cytochemical, and ontogenetic characters. Spores are yellow-orange to red-brown, globose, with a hyaline outer wall layer expanding into roughened, flamelike columns in acidic mountants. Sporocarps are formed by the growth of fine hyphal branches from the subtending hyphae, which gradually cover the original spore. Many of the spores enveloped in the hyphal mantle are formed simultaneously and coalesce to form the sporocarp. The importance of the ontogeny of spores and sporocarps in the description of new taxa is discussed
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