Arbuscular mycorrhizae and soil/plant water relations

Abstract

The water relations of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) plants have been compared often. However, virtually nothing is known about the comparative water relations of AM and nonAM soils or about the relative influence of AM colonization of soil vs. AM colonization of plants on host water balance. In this review, I summarize findings that support the assertion that colonization of soil may play as important a role as colonization of roots regarding how AM symbiosis affects the water relations of host plants. We observed a slight but significant AM effect on the soil moisture characteristic curve of a Sequatchie fine sandy loam following 7 mo of mycorrhization by Glomus intraradices/Vigna unguiculata. In a separate study, few AM effects on either the wet or dry hysteretic curves were discernible after 12 mo of mycorrhization by G. intraradices or Gigaspora margarita on roots of Phaseolus vulgaris. Using myc- bean mutants, we determined that about half of the considerable promotion of stomatal conductance by G. intraradices and Gi. margarita was attributable to soil colonization and about half to plant colonization. A path analysis modeling approach revealed that soil hyphal colonization had larger direct and total effects on dehydration tolerance of bean than did root hyphal colonization or several other soil or plant variables. Key words: Mycorrhizal symbiosis, soil moisture characteristic, stomatal conductance, water relations