Enhancement of the effectiveness of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi by inorganic soil amendments

The influence of inorganic soil amendments on the effectiveness of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi was investigated in pot experiments. Intact or ground perlite, Kanumatsuchi (volcanic ash soil), vermiculite, or rice-hull charcoal was mixed with uncultivated soil in which Glomus sp. was dominant, and marigold (Tagetes patula L.) was sown to the soil mixtures. AM colonization of the host roots increased by the incorporation of ground materials but not by that of intact materials. The growth promotive effect of the indigenous fungi on the host was enhanced by both the intact and ground materials. The inorganic materials improved the soil physical properties: the intact materials increased the gaseous phase of the media and the ground materials increased the aqueous phase. It was suggested that the inorganic soil amendments might not only provide a less-competitive habitat for the fungi but also improve the physical environment.