Water Relations of Red CloverTrifolium pratenseL. as Affected by VA Mycorrhizal Infection and Phosphorus Supply Before and During Drought

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Abstract
Red clover Trifolium pratense L. plants were grown in a factorial design with four levels of added P and with and without a mycorrhizal inoculum, to test the separate effects of P nutrition and infection on plant water relations. Under well-watered conditions, only uninfected plants on very low P soil showed reduced stomatal conductance and these had the lowest leaf P concentrations. During droughting, only plants with very high leaf P concentrations maintained high conductance. There was no evidence of increased water uptake by mycorrhizal plants. This and other evidence suggests that mycorrhizal effects on water relations are secondary consequences of changes in P nutrition which are, in any case, inconsistent.