Table Of ContentTOLERANCE OF VESICULAR-ARBUSCULAR (VA) MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI
TO ALUMINUM AND ITS RELATION TO IMPROVEMENT
OF NUTRITION AND NODULATION OF LEGUMES
IN AN ACID MINERAL SOIL
By
HILISA TAN BARTOLOME
A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
1991
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author expresses her profound gratitude and
appreciation to Dr. Norman C. Schenck, former chairman of the
supervisory committee, for his constant supervision and
valuable suggestions during the conduct of the study; to Dr.
James W. Kimbrough, chairman of the supervisory committee
after Dr. Schenck retired, for his support, kindness, and
sound advise on the preparation of the manuscript; to Dr.
David H. Hubbell, Dr. Raghavan Charudattan, Dr. David M.
Sylvia, Dr. Edward A. Hanlon, Jr., and Dr. Jerry B. Sartain,
members of her supervisory committee, for their guidance.
She recognizes her indebtedness to The National
Institutes of Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology
(BIOTECH) Philippines for the study leave; USDA for research
,
support and graduate assistantship; and Florida Cooperative
Extension Service: Mycology Extension for supporting in part
her graduate assistantship; Forage Evaluation Laboratory, and
Wetland Soils Laboratory for the use of their facilities and
equipment; IFAS Analytical Research Laboratory for the soil
analysis; and to the International Culture Collection of VA
Mycorrhizal Fungi (INVAM) for the starter cultures.
Shegratefullyacknowledges Dr. DavidWilson, Dr. Stewart
Smith, Dr. Kenneth Quesenberry, Dr. Albert Kretschmer, Jr.,
ii
Dr. Jerry Bennett, andMiss Yvonne Perez for providing some of
the materials used in the study.
She expresses herheartfelt thanks to LeonorMaia, Sanjay
Swarup, Eugene Kane, Oscar Olila, and Jong-min Ko for their
assistance in various phases of the study and for their
constant enjoyable company; to Pascal Druzgala for
"Penhaligon's Scented Treasury of Verse and Prose" which she
found inspiring; and to her family for their love and cheer.
Finally, the author wishes to thank HIM for shedding HIS
abundant blessings in all her undertakings.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii
LIST OF TABLES vi
LIST OF FIGURES xi
ABSTRACT xiv
CHAPTER I
GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1
High-Aluminum Acid Mineral Soils 1
Tropical Forage Legumes 2
Symbionts 3
Rationale 6
Objectives 7
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE 8
Nature of Acidity in Mineral Soils 8
Effect of Acidity on Legume-Rhizobium
Symbiosis 10
Effect of Aluminum on Legume-Rhizobiurn
Symbiosis 13
Effect of Acidity on VA Mycorrhizal Fungi ... 16
Effect of Aluminum on VA Mycorrhizal Fungi .23
Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi .
Isolated from Acid and/or High-Al Soils ... 24
Effect of other Metals on VA Mycorrhizal
Fungi 26
Adaptation in VA Mycorrhizal Fungi 28
Importance of Phosphorus on Nodulation and
Nitrogen Fixation 31
Interaction Between VA Mycorrhizal Fungi
and Rhizobium 33
iv
CHAPTER III
TOLERANCE OF SEVERAL VA MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI TO
SOIL ACIDITY AND AL SATURATION 38
Introduction 38
Materials and Methods 40
Results 50
Discussion 77
CHAPTER IV
EFFECT OF SEVERAL VA MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI
VARYING IN TOLERANCE TO SOIL ACIDITY AND AL
ON NODULATION AND NUTRITION OF FORAGE
LEGUMES IN A HIGH-AL ACID SOIL 89
Introduction 89
Materials and Methods 91
RDeissuclutsssio.n 19917
CHAPTER V
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 202
LITERATURE CITED 210
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 236
v
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
3-1 Chemical characteristics of the three acid
soils 41
3-2 Composition of nutrient solution supplied to
plants grown in Pacolet sandy clay loam 44
3-3 International Culture Collection of VA
Mycorrhizal fungi (INVAM) isolate number and
origin of selected VA mycorrhizal fungi used in
the study 46
3-4 Orthogonal contrasts between genera of VA
mycorrhizal fungi for spore germination, hyphal
growth, and mycelial growth index (MGI) in a
100% Al-saturated soil 74
3-5 Maximum spore germination (SG) and hyphal length
(HL) of VA mycorrhizal fungi in 100% Al-saturated
Pacolet sandy clay loam after acclimation in
12.5%, 25%, and 50% of the same soil 76
4-1 Isolates of VA mycorrhizal fungi evaluated and
treatment replication in Pueraria phaseoloides and
Stylosanthes guianensis experiments 94
4-2 Root VA mycorrhizal colonization of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium 98
4-3 Shoot and root P concentration of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 1) .... 100
4-4 Shoot and root total P content of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 1) .... 101
4-5 Nodule number and nodule weight of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium 103
vi
4-6 Shoot and root N concentration of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 1) .... 104
4-7 Shoot and root total N content of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 1) .... 106
4-8 Shoot and root dry weights of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 1) 108
4-9 Height and root collar diameter of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium 109
4-10 Pearson coefficients for correlating nodulation
and root VAM colonization with various growth and
nutrition variables in Pueraria phaseoloides
(Trial 1) Ill
4-11 Pearson coefficients for correlating shoot and
root dry weights with N and P nutrition of
Pueraria phaseoloides (Trial 1) 113
4-12 Pearson coefficients for correlating P nutrition
with N nutrition of Pueraria phaseoloides
(Trial 1) 114
4-13 Root VAM colonization of Pueraria phaseoloides
inoculated with selected VA mycorrhizal fungi
and Rhizobium (Trial 2) 115
4-14 Shoot and root P concentration of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 2) .... 117
4-15 Shoot and root total P content of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 2) .... 118
4-16 Nodule number and nodule weight of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi (Trial 2) 120
4-17 Shoot and root N concentration of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 2) .... 122
4-18 Shoot and root total N content of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
vii
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 2) .... 124
4-19 Shoot and root dry weights of Pueraria
phaseoloides inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 2) .... 125
4-20 Pearson coefficients for correlating nodulation
and root VAM colonization with various growth and
nutritional variables in Pueraria phaseoloides
(Trial 2) 127
4-21 Pearson coefficients for correlating shoot and
root dry weights with N and P nutrition of
Pueraria phaseoloides (Trial 2) 128
4-22 Pearson coefficients for correlating P nutrition
with N nutrition of Pueraria phaseoloides
(Trial 2) 129
4-23 Root mycorrhizal colonization in Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and/or Rhizobium (Trial 1) . . . 130
4-24 Shoot and root P concentration of Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 1) .... 132
4-25 Shoot and root P total P content of Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 1) .... 134
4-26 Number of nodules in Stylosanthes guianensis
inoculated with selected VA mycorrhizal fungi
and Rhizobium (Trial 1) 135
4-27 Shoot and root N concentration of Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and .Rhizobium (Trial 1.) .... 137
4-28 Shoot and root total N content of Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 1) .... 139
4-29 Shoot and root dry weights of Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 2) .... 141
4-30 Pearson coefficients for correlating nodule
number and root VAM colonization with various
growth and nutritional variables in Stylosanthes
guianensis (Trial 1) 143
viii
4-31 Pearson coefficients for correlating shoot and
root dry weights with N and P nutrition of
Stylosanthes guianensis (Trial 1) 144
4-32 Pearson coefficients for correlating P nutrition
with N nutrition of Stylosanthes guianensis
(Trial 1) 145
4-33 Root mycorrhizal colonization of Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA ....
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 2) 147
4-34 Shoot and root P concentration of Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 2) .... 148
4-35 Shoot and root total P content of Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 2) .... 150
4-36 Nodule number of Stylosanthes guianensis
inoculated with selected VA mycorrhizal fungi
and Rhizobium (Trial 2) 151
4-37 Shoot and root N concentration of Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 2) .... 153
4-38 Shoot and root N content of Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium (Trial 2) .... 154
4-39 Shoot and root dry weights of Stylosanthes
guianensis inoculated with selected VA
mycorrhizal fungi (Trial 2) 156
4-40 Pearson coefficients for correlating nodule
number and root VAM colonization with
various growth and nutritional variables in
Stylosanthes guianensis (Trial 2) 158
4-41 Pearson coefficients for correlating shoot and
root dry weights with N and P nutrition of
of Stylosanthes guianensis (Trial 2) 159
4-42 Pearson coefficients for correlating P nutrition
with N nutrition of Stylosanthes guianensis
(Trial 2) 160
4-43 Pearson coefficients for correlating
nodulation and root VAM colonization with
ix
various growth and nutritional variables
in Leucaena leucocephala 171
4-44 Pearson coefficients for correlating shoot and
root dry weights with N and P nutrition
of Leucaena leucocephala 173
4-45 wPietahrsoNnnuctoreiftfiiocnienitnsLefuocraecnoarrelleautciocnegphPalnautri.t.io.n. 174
4-46 Pearson coefficients for correlating nodulation
and root VAM colonization with various growth
and nutritional variables in Centrosema
pubescens 183
4-47 Pearson coefficients for correlating shoot and
root dry weights with N and P nutrition
of Centrosema pubescens 185
4-48 Pearson coefficients for correlating P nutrition
with N nutrition in Centrosema pubescens 186
4-49 Pearson coefficients for correlating percent spore
germination with growth and nutritional variables
of Pueraria phaseoloides in a 100% Al-saturated
soil 187
4-50 Pearson coefficients for correlating percent spore
germination with growth and nutritional variables
of Stylosanthes guianensis in a 100% Al-saturated
soil 188
4-51 Spearman coefficients for correlating hyphal
length and mycelial growth index (MGI) of VA
mycorrhizal fungi with growth and nutritional
variables of Pueraria phaseoloides in a 100% Al-
saturated soil 189
4-52 Spearman coefficients for correlating hyphal
length and mycelial growth index (MGI) of VA
mycorrhizal fungi with growth and nutritional
variables of Stylosanthes guianensis in a 100% Al-
saturated soil 190
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