The occurrence of mycorrhiza in 40 selected medicinal plants was studied. The percentage of mycorrhizal colonization in each of the plant was calculated. The colonization was found to be very less in four plants and very high in six plants. All others showed a moderate level of colonization. The present work suggests the use of mycorrhiza as a biofertilizer to enhance the growth and yield of me...

The nuclear ribosomal DNAwas used to identify the orchid mycorrhizal fungi found in roots of Orchis xbivonae and its parental species Orchis anthropophora and Orchis italica. Polymerase chain reaction products were sequenced and identified using the expanded database. We determined that closely related Tulasnellaceae are mycorrhizal in the three orchid taxa, suggesting that the mycorrhizal part...

last decade as a critical part of the knowledge base for successful and sustainable agricultural production. A key component of biology is the profound plant/mycorrhizal fungi relationship, which has enormous potential for improved management of contemporary farming systems. Although using these fungi has the potential to revolutionize agriculture they are certainly not new in terms of the evol...

The authors carried out a time-series study to determine whether short-term increases in the concentrations of spores were associated with emergency department visits from asthma among children 0 to 9 years of age in Montreal, 1994-2004. Concentrations of spores were obtained from one sampling monitor. The authors used parametric Poisson models to model the association between daily admissions ...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ubiquitous in the rhizosphere and form symbiotic relationships with most terrestrial plant roots. In this study, four strains of Rhizophagus clarus were cultured and variations in their growth characteristics owing to functional diversity and resultant effects on host plant were investigated. Growth characteristics of the studied R. clarus strains varied s...

Almost all land plants form symbiotic associations with mycorrhizal fungi. These below-ground fungi play a key role in terrestrial ecosystems as they regulate nutrient and carbon cycles, and influence soil structure and ecosystem multifunctionality. Up to 80% of plant N and P is provided by mycorrhizal fungi and many plant species depend on these symbionts for growth and survival. Estimates sug...

Mycorrhizal fungi greatly enhanced the ability of plants to take up phosphorus and other nutrients those are relatively immobile and exist in low concentration in the soil solution. Fungi can be important in the uptake of other nutrients by the host plant. Zinc nutrition is most commonly reported as being influenced by the association, although uptake of copper (Cu) , iron, N, K, Ca and Mg has ...

The present study shows the status of mycorrhization in three test varieties of chickpea. As the results revealed irrespective to the crops when arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were assessed under the influence of soil quality better results were obtained with unsterile soil in comparison to sterile soil. Chickpea variety ICC 11322 showed the best result against the Fusarium wilt and chickpe...

Although arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are ubiquitous symbionts of plants, the mutualism has rarely been tested in nature. In experiments designed to explore the ecological relevance of associations between different fungal and plant species in a natural environment, plant species were infected with different species of fungi and grown in separate trials in the laboratory and a North Caroli...

Entomopathogenic fungi, when used as a microbial control agent against cotton pests, such as Helicoverpa spp., may have the potential to establish and spread in the environment and to have an impact on both pests and beneficial insects. Information on the effect of entomopathogenic fungi on pests and beneficial insects is crucial for a product to be registered as a biopesticide. The effect of t...