Growth of white clover in undisturbed soils after inoculation with efficient mycorrhizal fungi

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Abstract
Clover seedlings were inoculated with the indigenous or one of 3 introduced mycorrhyzal fungi and transplanted into undisturbed cores of 8 hill country soils [New Zealand]. After several harvests, at least one of the introduced fungi had increased shoot growth in each soil from 16-117%. In most soils, the growth benefit from inoculating with an introduced mycorrhizal fungus tended to decrease after the initial shoot harvest, and was then maintianed at a lower level over subsequent harvests. In a Taihape silt loam, the growth benefit from Glomus tenuis inoculation increased steadily over 6 harvests. In 4 of 5 soils, previous application of phosphate fertilizer (50 kg P/ha yr) did not reduce mycorrhizal growth responses.