Effects of Native and Commercial Mycorrhizae on Sorghum bicolor and Sorghastrum nutans

Abstract

Mycorrhizal fungi grow in mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships with plant roots. This symbiosis can result in increased plant growth as measured by dry mass of the plant, stem diameter, and plant height. We predicted that the success of interaction would be dependent on sympatric relationships between the plant, soil, and fungi. We grew Sorghum bicolor (Sb) and Sorghastrum nutans (Sn) with four growth treatments: (1) living prairie soil and commercial mycorrhizae, (2) sterilized prairie soil and commercial mycorrhizae, (3) living, non-inoculated prairie soil, and (4) sterilized, non-inculcated prairie soil. Soil type had the greatest impact on Sb while the presence of commercial mycorrhizae had the greatest impact of Sn.