SUSCEPTIBILITY OF BARLEY CULTIVARS TO VESICULAR-ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI

The relative susceptibility of selected barley cultivars produced in western Canada to vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi under field and greenhouse conditions was evaluated in this study. Cultivars tested under field conditions at the University of Alberta and Lacombe research stations showed no significant differences in VAM colonization of barley roots; colonization was light. Greenhouse trials at the University of Alberta with eight cultivars inoculated with individual mycorrhizal species illustrated significant differences among the barley cultivars in their reactions to Glomus dimorphicum, G. intraradices, and G. mosseae. Distinct differences were observed in the ability of each Glomus species to colonize the barley cultivars. The VAM fungi increased growth and yield in some cultivars, depending on the Glomus species. This study indicates that a degree of host-specificity exists in VAM fungi and that the host-mycorrhizal fungus genotypes may influence the effectiveness of the symbiosis.