Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal infection of lucerne roots in a cellulose-amended soil

Lucerne plants inoculated with vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were grown in pots in a sandy soil amended or not amended with cellulose. Whatever the endophyte or cellulose sources used, the rate of VAM colonization was lower in amended soil. The inhibition of VAM infection increased with the cellulose concentration in the soil. Sequential harvest experiments showed a clear reduction of root colonization from the early stages of plant growth. The effectiveness of cellulose in reducing VAM colonization was influenced by the addition of N fertilizer.