Presence of different arbuscular mycorrhizal infection patterns in roots of Lotus glaber plants growing in the Salado River basin

Morphological types of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi associated with Lotus glaber in sodic soils of the Salado River basin were studied. At least eight colonization patterns (IP) of AM fungi in roots of L. glaber were observed after 30 plants were analyzed. Arum- and Paris-type infection were found in the same plant species. This result supports the idea that AM morphology is not solely under plant control, but is also influenced by fungal identity. One infection pattern, presumably corresponding to Glomus intraradices, and a second, possibly assignable to Glomus tenue, were the most commonly found. Our results reinforce previous suggestions that G. intraradices is well adapted to sodic-saline conditions and may play a role in the resistance of L. glaber to these soils.