Yield and N assimilation of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L., var. Norstar) inoculated with rhizobacteria

The effects of bacterial inoculants on the growth of winter wheat were studied in a growth chamber. Azospirillum brasilense, Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus polymyxa, Enterobacter cloacae, or a mixture of the four rhizobacteria were the inoculants tested. Inoculation effects on yield, yield components, and N-derived from fertilizer (Ndff) were assessed. The response of plants inoculated with individual bacteria was inconsistent and varied with treatment. At the first harvest (58 days after planting-DAP) plants inoculated with the mixture exhibited increases in plant dry weight, total-N and Ndff. At the second harvest (105 DAP), plants inoculated with A. brasilense and the mixture exhibited increases in shoot biomass, whereas at maturity (170 DAP), the inoculated plants showed no differences in total-N or shoot dry matter yield, as compared to the uninoculated controls. Inoculation with A. brasilense, however, increased the Ndff in the shoots, and B. polymyxa tended to enhance grain yield. Practical use of these rhizobacteria as inoculants for winter wheat may have limited value until such time as we better understand factors which influence rhizosphere competence of bacterial inoculants.     

On the Taxonomy of the Members of ‘Saccharum Complex’

The difficulty and problems encountered in the study of cultivated plants, in general and sugarcane, in particular has been indicated. In order to understand these problems, a brief review on the taxonomy of Saccharum and closely related taxa, namely, Erianthus, Sclerostachya, Narenga and Miscanthus (generally known as ‘Saccharum complex’) has been given. A short account on the important morphological features that are specific to sugarcane has also been stated as classification is commonly based on such morphological characters. A note has been added on the chromosome number, origin, and distribution of the species of ‘Saccharum complex’ members. Taxonomic keys have been devised for identification of the genera of Saccharinae and for the species of Saccharum and Erianthus occurring in India. A new combination, Sclerostachya fallax (Balansa) Amalraj et Balasundaram, has also been proposed.     

Genetic Diversity within and Between Populations of Lathyrus genus (Fabaceae) Revealed by ISSR Markers

In order to evaluate the genetic diversity in Lathyrus genus, the Inter Simple Sequence Repeats method (ISSR) was exploited in five populations. These consisted of two cultivated species belonging to section Lathyrus (L. sativus L. and L. cicera L.) and a wild one belonging to the section Clymenum (L. ochrus DC.). Two 3′anchored ISSR primers and two unanchored ones, generated a total of 60 useful polymorphic DNA bands. Our data provide evidence of high molecular polymorphism at the intra- and the inter-specific levels showing that both wild and cultivated forms constitute an important pool of diversity. Moreover, among the generated DNA bands, a 500 bp band, totally absent in the banding patterns of the section Clymenum, appears to be a molecular marker of section Lathyrus. Results provided for lineage and suggest recent origin of these species that might have evolved from a common ancestor producing both L. ochrus species and the two other species L. sativus and L. cicera. These relationships support previous studies based on morphological variation and molecular analysis.     

Genetic diversity of rhizobia associated with indigenous legumes in different regions of Flanders (Belgium)

We investigated the diversity of rhizobia isolated from different indigenous legumes in Flanders (Belgium). A total of 3810 bacterial strains were analysed originating from 43 plant species. Based on rep-PCR clustering, 16S rRNA gene and recA gene sequence analysis, these isolates belonged to Bradyrhizobium, Ensifer (Sinorhizobium), Mesorhizobium and Rhizobium. Of the genera encountered, Rhizobium was the most abundant (62%) and especially the species Rhizobiumleguminosarum, followed by Ensifer (19%), Bradyrhizobium (14%) and finally Mesorhizobium (5%). For two rep-clusters only low similarity values with other genera were found for both the 16S rRNA and recA genes, suggesting that these may represent a new genus with close relationship to Rhodopseudomonas and Bradyrhizobium. Primers for the symbiotic genes nodC and nifH were optimized and a phylogenetic sequence analysis revealed the presence of different symbiovars including genistearum, glycinearum, loti, meliloti, officinalis, trifolii and viciae. Moreover, three new nodC types were assigned to strains originating from Ononis, Robinia and Wisteria, respectively. Discriminant and MANOVA analysis confirmed the correlation of symbiosis genes with certain bacterial genera and less with the host plant. Multiple symbiovars can be present within the same host plant, suggesting the promiscuity of these plants. Moreover, the ecoregion did not contribute to the separation of the bacterial endosymbionts. Our results reveal a large diversity of rhizobia associated with indigenous legumes in Flanders. Most of the legumes harboured more than one rhizobial endosymbiont in their root nodules indicating the importance of including sufficient isolates per plant in diversity studies.     

Control of pitch pine seed germination and initial growth exerted by leaf litters and polyphenolic compounds

We investigated the influence of three concentrations of water extracts of three leaf litter species (pitch pine, huckleberry and white oak) and a mixture of all litters on the germination of pitch pine seeds and initial seedling growth in a microcosm experiment. All three plant species are important components of the pine barrens ecosystems in New Jersey, where it has been seen that pine seedling recruitment occurs only after stand replacing fire or in disturbed sites, where surface organic soil horizons and leaf litter have been removed. Leaf litter extracts did not influence seed germination, but significantly reduced seedling growth at high concentrations. There was little difference between the leaf litter species in growth suppression. As charcoal is a natural residue on the forest floor following fire, its influence on growth suppression was examined; it has been shown to immobilize polyphenols. Charcoal removed the inhibitory effect of leaf litter extracts and allowed the fertilizer effect of nutrients leached from the leaves to enhance seedling growth, particularly at the higher concentration of litter extract used. Responses to litter extracts were compared to four pure phenolic compounds, catchecol, p-coumaric acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and tannic acid. None of these compounds suppressed pine seedling growth, suggesting that these phenolics are not allelopathic to pine seedlings. The results are discussed in the context of fire as a driving factor in these oligotrophic and seasonally dry ecosystems and the interactions between nutrient supply and allelopathic chemistry of different leaf litters.     

不同人工林凋落叶混合分解速率及其C,N释放动态

对岷江上游连香树、糙皮桦、云南松和云杉4种主要人工林凋落叶进行了凋落叶混合分解试验,探讨了凋落叶混合分解过程中的残留率以及分解过程中C,N含量和C,N释放率的动态变化,为试验区最佳混交树种的选择提供理论指导.结果表明,不同凋落叶分解速率存在显著差异.糙皮桦与云杉,糙皮桦与云南松,连香树与云南松凋落叶混合后对分解过程具有明显的促进作用,连香树与云杉凋落叶的混合对分解的促进作用不明显.放置于阔叶林地的针阔混合凋落叶分解速率较之放置于针叶林地快,且针阔混交有益于凋落叶的分解.在分解过程中凋落叶C含量呈减小趋势,但其释放率反之;N含量在分解过程中,连香树、云杉、云南松凋落叶表现为增加(富集)减小(释放)趋势,糙皮桦表现为减小—增大—减小的变化趋势.针阔林地凋落叶混合后促进了针叶林地凋落叶C和N的释放.     

Factors related to the distribution and prevalence of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Rana cascadae and other amphibians in the Klamath Mountains

The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which causes the disease chytridiomycosis, has been associated with declines and extinctions of montane amphibians worldwide. To gain insight into factors affecting its distribution and prevalence we focus on the amphibian community of the Klamath Mountains in northwest California. The Cascades frog (Rana cascadae), one of the most common amphibians in these mountains, experienced increased mortality as a result of Bd exposure in laboratory trials and has experienced recent, dramatic declines in other parts of California. We surveyed 112 sites in the Klamaths, all of which supported R. cascadae between 1999 and 2002, for amphibians and Bd to (1) determine the distribution of Bd, (2) evaluate changes in the distribution of R. cascadae, and (3) assess associations between potential biotic and abiotic drivers and Bd infection. Bd was widely distributed in the Klamath Mountains – we detected the pathogen at 64% of sites. R. cascadae was found at 79% of sites, and was often infected with Bd. These results suggest that Bd has not caused dramatic declines in R. cascadae in the Klamaths in recent years. Subadult R. cascadae had a higher Bd prevalence than other R. cascadae life stages (subadults: 36%, adults: 25%, metamorphs: 4%, larvae: 1%), and while the probability of infection decreased over the season for adults, it did not for subadults, suggesting that subadults may be more vulnerable to chytridiomycosis than other R. cascadae life stages. Bd prevalence in R. cascadae was highest early in the season at high-elevation sites, which may indicate that populations inhabiting high elevation sites may have a greater risk of being affected by chytridiomycosis. Three other common amphibian species also tested positive for Bd: Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla), western toad (Anaxyrus boreas), and rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa).     

Nematofauna associated with exotic and native leguminous plant species in West Africa: effect of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Glomus intraradices</Emphasis> arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis

Ten leguminous trees, four exotic species (Australian Acacia) and six indigenous species (three Sahelian Acacia spp. and three Sesbania spp.), were grown for 4 months in a natural Sahelian soil inoculated with or without the endomycorrhizal fungus, Glomus intraradices. In control trials, the determinant factor structuring the soil nematode fauna was the plant species, related plants having a similar influence on the nematode community in the soil. Soil nematode abundance increased from exotic acacias (3.3 g^-1 dry soil) to native acacias (11.5 g^-1 dry soil) and Sesbania species (17.6 g^-1 dry soil). Plant feeding nematodes (mainly Scutellonema and Tylenchorhynchus) were significantly less abundant under exotic acacias (1.4 g^-1 dry soil) than under native acacias (7.2 g^-1 dry soil) or Sesbania species (7.3 g^-1 dry soil). Bacterial feeding nematode density increased from exotic acacias (1.2 g^-1 dry soil) to native acacias (3.0 g^-1 dry soil) and Sesbania species (7.7 g^-1 dry soil) as total densities. However, the differences in the structure of the nematode communities between plant groups were suppressed in the presence of the mycorrhizal fungus. In fact, no difference in nematode densities remained between plant groups when G. intraradices developed in several dominant taxa belonging to different trophic groups, particularly: Tylenchorhynchus, Apelenchina, Cephalobus and Dorylaimoidea. This study clearly indicated that inoculation with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus G. intraradices diminished the plant-specific effect on the structure of the soil nematode community.     

Effects of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and two plant-parasitic nematodes on<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Musa</Emphasis> genotypes differing in root morphology

In this study, the effect of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) and two migratory endoparasitic nematodes on Musa plant growth, including the root system, were examined. In addition, the AMF-nematode interaction was studied. Seven Musa genotypes with different root systems were selected. Based on their relative mycorrhizal dependency, two genotypes (Calcutta 4 and Obino l'Ewai) were selected for AMF-nematode interaction studies. The experiments were performed under greenhouse conditions. Mycorrhization with Glomus mosseae resulted in a significantly better plant growth even in the presence of nematodes. The effect of AMF on the root system was genotype-dependent and seemed to be related to the relative mycorrhizal dependency of the genotype. The nematodes also affected the root system, decreasing branching. Nematode population densities were significantly reduced in the presence of AMF, except for Pratylenchus coffeae in Obino l'Ewai. In the root system, it appeared that the decreased branching caused by the nematodes was counterbalanced by the increased branching caused by the AMF.     

白僵菌和乙酰甲胺磷对水稻抗氧化状态及土壤氮循环的影响

为了考察微生物农药白僵菌施用后在水稻系统中的生态安全性及其环境行为,本文通过盆栽试验探讨了施加不同浓度白僵菌孢子悬液[7.5×104(孢子)·mL-1,7.5×105(孢子)·mL-1,7.5×106(孢子)·mL-1,7.5×107(孢子)·mL-1]和化学农药乙酰甲胺磷对接种二化螟的水稻氧化还原状态及土壤氮循环相关的生物化学过程强度的影响。结果表明,白僵菌处理对土壤氨化作用和硝化作用具有一定刺激作用,最大提高幅度分别为12.4%和36.8%;对反硝化作用表现为低浓度促进、高浓度抑制。乙酰甲胺磷处理在第10 d时对土壤氨化作用、硝化作用和反硝化作用的抑制率分别达到18.6%、45.3%和27.5%。乙酰甲胺磷处理后水稻AsA︰DHA(还原态抗坏血酸︰氧化态抗坏血酸)比值和GSH︰GSSG(还原态谷胱甘肽︰氧化态谷胱甘肽)比值降低,并伴随抗氧化能力的降低。与此相反,白僵菌处理能够提高AsA︰DHA和GSH︰GSSG。H2O2含量变化的结果表明二化螟接种和乙酰甲胺磷处理会导致过氧化程度升高,而白僵菌的施加缓解了二化螟引起的过氧化状态。本试验使用荧光定量PCR对白僵菌的残留进行研究,结果表明稻谷中并未有白僵菌残留,白僵菌施用后对人类健康无害。上述结果表明,与化学农药乙酰甲胺磷相比,白僵菌是一种环境友好型的微生物农药,其中7.5×104(孢子)·mL-1的使用浓度效果较好。     

羟基磷灰石–植物联合修复对Cu/Cd污染植物根际 土壤微生物群落的影响

针对江西贵溪Cu、Cd重金属污染土壤,通过田间试验,比较无机生物材料羟基磷灰石及3种植物(海州香薷、巨菌草、伴矿景天)与羟基磷灰石联合修复对土壤总Cu、Cd的吸收及对活性Cu、Cd的钝化吸收能力差异。采用磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)分析法,比较不同修复模式对土壤微生物群落结构的影响,以评估土壤微生态环境对不同修复措施的响应。研究结果表明:羟基磷灰石的施加可显著提高土壤pH,并有效钝化土壤活性Cu、Cd含量,但对土壤总Cu、Cd的含量影响较小。植物与羟基磷灰石的联合修复在显著降低土壤活性Cu、Cd(P0.05)的同时,减少了植物根际土壤总Cu、Cd的含量(P0.05)。不同修复措施对土壤微生物群落组成影响差异明显。单独施加羟基磷灰石与土壤真菌群落呈显著正相关,使土壤真菌生物量提高,从而引起真菌/细菌(F/B)的升高。植物与羟基磷灰石的联合修复可有效缓解土壤真菌化的趋势,其中巨菌草与羟基磷灰石的联合修复可有效提高土壤革兰氏阳性、革兰氏阴性细菌生物量及多样性,降低F/B值,从而降低土壤真菌病害的风险。不同植物根系活性代谢引起有机质的积累促进植物与羟基磷灰石处理中根际有机碳含量显著提高。聚类增强树(Aggregated boosted tree,ABT)分析结果表明:不同修复模式是影响土壤微生物群落的重要因素,其次土壤pH和Cu的含量及活性也是改变重金属污染区域微生物群落的因子。该研究从微生物群落结构角度解释了植物与羟基磷灰石联合修复对土壤微生态体系的作用,为开展Cu、Cd等重金属污染地植物与无机生物材料的联合修复方式的筛选及实施提供可靠的理论依据。     

三树种P－V曲线水分参数的比较研究

应用Ｐ－Ｖ技术研究了野外条件下海红、山杏和沙枣三个树种的水分参数（ψｓ＾ｓａｔ，ψｓ＾ｔｌｐ，ＲＯＷＣｔｌｐ，ＲＷＣｔｌｐ和ＡＷＣ）及其季节变化规律。探讨了树种对干旱胁迫的适应性反应。结果表明：树木各水分参数的季节变化规律与气候条件，尤其是水分条件相关，并与树木长期适应当地气候条件而形成的物候节律有关。嫩枝生长阶段是树木抗旱性最弱的时期，随着干旱锻炼过程的进行及小枝木质化程度的提高，树木的抗旱性不     

Powdery Mildew Resistance in a Collection of Chinese Barley Varieties

One hundred and forty-seven Chinese barley varieties maintained at the Gene Bank of the National Barley Improvement Centre, Zhejiang, and 84 progenies from these varieties were tested at the seedling stage for their reaction to 32 selected pathotypes of Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei. Eighteen resistance spectra were identified comprising single or combined resistances from eight known (Ml(Bw), Ml(Ch), Mla7, Mla8, Mla9, Mla13, MlaRu4 and Mlg) and six unknown resistance genes. The most frequent gene was Ml(Bw), which was found in 69 varieties and previously detected in only a few European winter barley varieties. The genes Mla8 and Ml(Ch) were also often present, but other resistance genes were rare. After inoculation, considerably fewer pathogen colonies were observed in ‘Aiganqi’ and one line of ‘Tong5’. Twenty varieties were composed of lines with different resistance genes. China is likely to be a region of origin of the genes Ml(Bw), Mla7, as well as three unknown genes found in original landraces and perhaps another three unknown genes detected in cultivars bred in China. The resistances of varieties from the Zhejiang province and those originating from 11 other Chinese provinces were quite different. Unfortunately, none of the varieties are promising sources of resistance to powdery mildew and China does not seem to be a region suitable for identifying such sources.     

Genetic Variation of Ethiopian Mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) Germplasm in Western Canada

Information on genetic diversity and genetic relationships among genotypes of Brassica carinata is currently limited. The objectives of this study were to evaluate patterns and levels of genetic diversity in B. carinata based on amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) as compared with Brassica juncea and Brassica nigra, and to evaluate agronomic and seed quality data for plants grown in the field in western Canada. A total of 296 AFLP bands were generated from four primer pair combinations and scored for presence/absence in 66, 20 and 7 accessions of B. carinata, B. juncea and B. nigra, respectively. B. carinata was less genetically diverse than the other two species. Differences in diversity were evident in the proportion of polymorphic loci within each species: 23, 35 and 50% for B. carinata, B. nigra and B. juncea, respectively. Pair-wise similarity measures based on the Jaccard coefficient were highest among accessions of B. carinata and showed the narrowest range: 0.911 (0.810–0.981) compared to B. nigra: 0.569 (0.438–0.660) and B. juncea: 0.715 (0.345–0.951). AFLP-based genetic distance information can be used by plant breeders to select diverse genotypes. AFLPs are also useful for fingerprinting cultivars and two primer pair combinations were sufficient to uniquely identify all the accessions of B. carinata. More variation among accessions was identified in the agronomic trial than had previously been described in studies of B. carinata in western Canada, but the data were too limited to draw conclusions regarding specific accessions. Overall, the findings were in agreement with other published work describing the favourable agronomic potential of this species.     

Effects of mixing radiata pine needles and understory litters on decomposition and nutrients release

A microcosm experiment was conducted to understand the impacts of mixing radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) needle litter and understory (gorse—Ulex europaeus L., broom—Cytisus scoparius L., bracken—Pteridium aquilinum L., and lotus—Lotus pedunculatus L.) litter materials on decomposition and nutrient release dynamics. Mixing of pine needle litter with understory litter material had significant impacts on both the rate of decomposition and nutrient release patterns of pine litter as well as that of the understory species. Incubation in microcosms over 10 months resulted in significantly lower mass loss of radiata pine needle litter mixed with broom and lotus litters (35.8±8.4 and 41.3±0.8%, respectively) than pure pine needle litter (63.5±2.3%). Mixing with pine needle litter significantly increased the mass loss of broom (53.1±6.1%) compared to that of pure broom (30.2±1.0%). Significant transfers of nutrients, especially of magnesium and potassium, were observed in litter mixture treatments. Concentration of K in litter materials was found to be the most limiting factor for the decomposing microorganisms in the present study. The findings of this study suggest that management of understory litter composition via weed control could be used to manipulate carbon turnover and nutrient release in the forest floor. Also, initial selection of understory species will be important and could be managed.     

Effectiveness of two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on concentrations of essential oil and artemisinin in three accessions of Artemisia annua L.

A field experiment was conducted to study and compare the effectiveness of two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Glomus macrocarpum (GM) and Glomus fasciculatum (GF) on three accessions of Artemisia annua. The AM inoculation significantly increased the production of herbage, dry weight of shoot, nutrient status (P, Zn and Fe) of shoot, concentration of essential oil and artemisinin in leaves as compared to non-inoculated plants. The extent of growth, nutrient concentration and production of secondary plant metabolites varied with the fungus–plant accession combination. The mycorrhizal dependency of the three accessions was related to the shoot: root ratio. Comparing the two fungal inoculants in regard to increase in essential oil concentration in shoot, the effectiveness of GF was more than that of GM. While in two accessions, GM was more effective in enhancing artemisinin concentration than GF. Increase in concentration of essential oil was found to be positively correlated to P-status of the plant. Conversely, no correlation was found between shoot-P and artemisinin concentration.     

Mixed-species legume fallows affect faunal abundance and richness and N cycling compared to single species in maize-fallow rotations

Rotation of nitrogen-fixing woody legumes with maize has been widely promoted to reduce the loss of soil organic matter and decline in soil biological fertility in maize cropping systems in Africa. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of maize-fallow rotations with pure stands, two-species legume mixtures and mixed vegetation fallows on the richness and abundance of soil macrofauna and mineral nitrogen (N) dynamics. Pure stands of sesbania (Sesbania sesban), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), tephrosia (Tephrosia vogelii), 1:1 mixtures of sesbania + pigeon pea and sesbania + tephrosia, and a mixed vegetation fallow were compared with a continuously cropped monoculture maize receiving the recommended fertilizer rate, which was used as the control. The legume mixtures did not differ from the respective pure stands in leaf, litter and recycled biomass, soil Ca, Mg and K. Sesbania + pigeon pea mixtures consistently increased richness in soil macrofauna, and abundance of earthworms and millipedes compared with the maize monoculture (control). The nitrate-N, ammonium-N and total mineral N concentration of the till layer soil (upper 20 cm) of pure stands and mixed-species legume plots were comparable with the control plots. Sesbania + pigeon pea mixtures also gave higher maize grain yield compared with the pure stands of legume species and mixed vegetation fallows. It is concluded that maize-legume rotations increase soil macrofaunal richness and abundance compared with continuously cropped maize, and that further research is needed to better understand the interaction effect of macrofauna and mixtures of organic resources from legumes on soil microbial communities and nutrient fluxes in such agro-ecosystems.     

黄土丘陵区沙棘混交林叶片、凋落物、土壤碳氮磷化学计量特征

以黄土丘陵区沙棘(Hippophae rhamnoides)+油松(Pinus tabuliformis)、沙棘(H.rhamnoides)+刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)混交林(H_rP_t、H_rR_p)及油松(P_t)和刺槐(R_p)纯林为对象,测定叶片、凋落物和0—100 cm土壤C、N、P含量及其化学计量比,探究混交造林对不同组分间养分协同变化规律的影响。结果表明:(1)相比P_t,H_rP_t中油松叶片C、N、P含量(p0.05)及N∶P(p0.05)增加,C∶N和C∶P降低(p0.05),表明H_rP_t有助于缓解N限制,加快其生长速率;相比R_p,H_rR_p中刺槐叶片C、N含量及C∶P和N∶P降低,P含量及C∶N增加(p0.05),表明H_rR_p增强刺槐对P的吸收,但降低其对C和N的固存;(2)相比P_t,H_rP_t凋落物C、N、P含量及N∶P增加,C∶N和C∶P降低(p0.05),表明H_rP_t有助于加快凋落物分解,促进养分归还;相比R_p,H_rR_p凋落物C、N、P含量及其计量比均有所增加(p0.05),表明H_rR_p对凋落物分解无显著作用;(3)相比P_t和R_p,H_rP_t和H_rR_p土壤C、N、P含量增加,但C∶N和C∶P降低(p0.05),表明H_rP_t和H_rR_p均有助于提高N和P利用效率,改善土壤养分状况;(4)叶片、凋落物化学计量指标间具有较强协同效应,且N、P相比C在不同组分间的相关性更明显。综上,相比H_rR_p,H_rP_t更有助于改善养分限制因子供给,加快组分间养分转化。研究结果对于揭示黄土高原地区人工混交林生态系统养分供应潜力及合理制定营林规划具有重要意义。     

Influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and salinity on growth,biomass, and mineral nutrition of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Acacia auriculiformis</Emphasis>

The effect of salinity on the efficacy of two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Glomus fasciculatum and G. macrocarpum, alone and in combination was investigated on growth, development and nutrition of Acacia auriculiformis. Plants were grown under different salinity levels imposed by 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 S m^-1 solutions of 1 M NaCl. Both mycorrhizal fungi protected the host plant against the detrimental effect of salinity. The extent of AM response on growth as well as root colonization varied with fungal species, and with the level of salinity. Maximum root colonization and spore production was observed with combined inoculation, which resulted in greater plant growth at all salinity levels. AM fungal inoculated plants showed significantly higher root and shoot weights. Greater nutrient acquisition, changes in root morphology, and electrical conductivity of soil in response to AM colonization was observed, and may be possible mechanisms to protect plants from salt stress.