ISOZYME ANALYSIS OF MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI AND THEIR MYCORRHIZA

This chapter describes isozyme methods for the analysis of vesiculararbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungi and for the identification and quantification of mycorrhizal fungi within plant roots. Present areas of application are reviewed briefly. As vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi cannot be cultured axenically, fungal material in the form of resting spores or external and/or internal root mycelium, together with surface-cleaned infected root systems, are routinely analyzed. The chapter further highlights standardization of extracts. To standardize the amount of extracts for quantitative studies, two methods should be considered: dry weight and protein content. Unlike the fungi forming vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal associations, it is possible to culture many of the ectomycorrhizal fungi, particularly members of many Ascomycete and Basidiomycete families. The production of taxonomically recognizable fruiting structures (also a source of extractable tissue) makes it possible to isolate dikaryotic and, in certain cases, monokaryotic mycelium from individuals of the same species. The chapter also explains ectomycorrhizal sample preparation. © 1992 Academic Press Limited