Interactions of Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi,Meloidogyne incognita,and Soil Fertility on Peach

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Abstract
Growth of ''Lovell'' peach trees infected with Meloidogyne incognita or free of the nematode was enhanced by Gigaspora margarita and Glomus etunicatus in some greenhouse tests, but not in others. Beneficial effects of the mycorrhizal fungi on growth were accompanied by improved foliar P, Cu, and Zn status and were greater on nematode-free plants grown in a soil with 500 .mu.g than in one containing 1000 .mu.g 10-10-10 NPK/g of soil. G. margarita suppressed reproduction of M. incognita only in tests where the fungus improved plant growth, however; G. etunicatus had no effect on nematode reproduction in either case. Sporulation of the fungi was not significantly affected by the nematode. In split-root studies involving G. margarita, the fungus suppressed nematode reproduction and the nematode was injurious to growth of mycorrhizal plants only if both microorganisms occupied the same half-root system.