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One of the primary principles of organic gardening is that of working with

nature, using native resources and natural cycles to increase the abundance
and health properties of the plants we grow. Many organic gardeners,
however, are not acquainted with the valuable natural ally that embodies
that core concept: mycorrhizal fungi. (For an introduction to mycorrhizal
fungi, see Pay Dirt, February/March 2010.)
These unique members of the soil community are key players in numerous
biological processes: helping plants take up more phosphorus, accumulating
carbon in the soil, and improving its clumping ability. Mycorrhizal fungi don't
accomplish these processes on their own; they work in concert with plant
roots through the power of symbiosis.
Many species of mycorrhizal fungus spores exist naturally in most soils. If
plant roots are present when soil conditions prompt the fungal spore to
germinate, the newly developing fungal "roots" (or hyphae) link with the cell
walls of the plant roots and grow into them, creating structures that allow for
the transfer of nutrients between the two organisms. In this symbiosis, the
plant provides the mycorrhizal fungi the sugars they need to keep growing
(since fungi can't photosynthesize to make their own sugars), and the fungi
provide the plants with soil nutrients, particularly phosphorus, which their
hyphae can extract from the soil more efficiently than the plant roots can.
When a large, vigorous network of mycorrhizal hyphae is associated with a
plant's roots, it exponentially expands the "reach" and surface area of those
roots, giving the plant greater access to the nutrients the soil has to offer.
This symbiosis is, of course, great for plants, because the extra nutrients can
fuel better growth and increase resistance to drought and disease. There are
only two instances in which mycorrhizal fungi do not provide benefits to
plants: (a) when the soil already has such ideal nutrient and moisture levels
that the plants can scavenge enough on their own, or (b) when the plants are
brassicas (members of the mustard family), which do not allow the
mycorrhizal fungi to colonize their roots.
These mycorrhizal "wrapping and sticking" actions create soil aggregates that
form air pockets in the soil.

David D. Douds, Ph.D., a microbiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research


Service (ARS), notes that different species of plants have different tendencies
toward developing mycorrhizal associations. For example, he has found that
leeks greatly benefit from mycorrhizal association in most years, while
tomatoes and peppers are more likely to benefit when they are more
nutrient-or water-stressed. Brassicas such as turnips and radishes do not form
mycorrhizal associations under any conditions.
While these mycorrhizal associations can be excellent for plant growth, they
also have positive impacts on the soil. Kris Nichols, Ph.D., a soil microbiologist
with the USDA-ARS Northern Plains Research Station, is working to clarify the
potential of mycorrhizal fungi to bind soil particles together into stable
aggregates (or clumps) and increase amounts of long-lasting carbon in the
soil. These benefits are derived in two ways: First, the mycorrhizal hyphae
can physically wrap soil particles together, and, second, they secrete a
substance, called glomalin, that is a sticky "goo" composed primarily of
stable forms of carbon. These mycorrhizal "wrapping and sticking" actions
create soil aggregates that form air pockets in the soil (holding air or water
between the aggregates, where plant roots need them) and resist erosion,
keeping organic matter and nutrients right where you want them (in the
garden, rather than running off downstream).

Get the underground army of mycorrhizal fungi to work in the garden by


following a few simple management practices:

If the soil is already high in phosphorus (a simple, inexpensive soil test


can answer this), do not fertilize with a phosphorus-rich amendment, because
high phosphorus levels inhibit development of associations between plants
and mycorrhizal fungi.Manures and manure-based composts can be high in
phosphorus, so test these amendments before adding them.

Minimize digging (especially rototilling), as it can break mycorrhizal


hyphae, preventing them from colonizing new plant roots and transporting
nutrients.

Grow a diverse mix of plants in your soil for as much of the year as
possible, because mycorrhizae need active plant roots in order to develop.
Some techniques to keep the mix diverse:

Rotate crops each year (as long as there aren't too many successive
brassicas). Crop rotations are vital to mycorrhizal fungus populations
because, in addition to providing a continuous succession of root hosts,
different crops also tend to favor different species of mycorrhizal fungi.

Plant an overwintering cover crop. In addition to adding organic matter


and retaining soil nutrients, the cover crop offers host roots for the
mycorrhizal fungi to colonize and helps them proliferate in preparation for
next spring's planting. A good mix of crops above ground is the best way to
support a mix of beneficial fungi below ground.

Lighten up a bit on weed control, because, surprising as this may be,


weed

roots

can

also

be

excellent

mycorrhizal

hosts.

These simple, no-cost steps help keep the soil's native population of
mycorrhizal fungi healthy and diverse, harnessing yet another gift of the
natural environment to create a vibrant and abundant garden.

In the organic system, soil is a living organism that provides nutritional


support for people but also has nutritional needs of its own. For those who
think of soil as nothing more than dirt, it may take an attitude adjustment to
view soil as a living collection of creatures, along with minerals and bits of
living material: iron oxides, unicellular bacteria, actinomycete filaments,
flagellated protozoans, ciliated protozoans, amoebae, nematodes, root hairs,
fine roots, elongate springtails, and mites.
All of these substances have an essential role in organic soil health and the
quantity and quality of an organic garden's glory. They break down the huge,
unwieldy proteins and lignins in straw, leaves, and the wastes and remains of
living

creatures

into

simple,

accessible

compounds,

like

nitrate

and

ammonium, that plants transform back into spicy peppers and mellow
watermelons. One organic tomato grower summed it up like this: "The soil is
like a farmer's bank. You've got to keep making deposits into it all the time. If
you withdraw from it until it's empty, you'll be out of business."
When it comes to firing up a garden's resident soil microbes, the organic shed
is filled with practical, adoptable soil-building tools, which for ease can be
grouped by the benefits they provide.
Soil Fertility and Regeneration
Key tools in organic soil fertility and regeneration include cover crops, crop
rotation, compost,soil aeration, and mulch. Legume cover crops, such as

winter peas or clovers, and edible legumes, such as beans, have the ability to
transform nitrogen from the air into nitrogen in the soil. Legumes can provide
the main serving of nitrogen for heavy-feeding crops like corn, melons, and
tomatoes. After the crops are harvested, buckwheat or cereal rye cover crops
can be sown to capture leftover nitrogen, saving it in a stable form to make it
available for the next rotation.
Microbes require certain working conditions to furnish the nutrients necessary
for healthy harvests. Fresh air and a steady supply of food and water, plus
protection from temperature extremes, will ensure productive soil. Covering
the soil with biodegradable mulches, regularly incorporating fluffy composts,
and minimizing compaction with good bed design are great ways to make
sure the microbes stay munching and the plants producing.
Keeping the beds planted with crops or cover crops or piled with mulch
encourages roots and earthworms that will work to make the soil airy and
loose. If the soil already suffers from compaction problems, try growing a
cover crop with a big taproot, such as the tillage radish (also known as
oilseed or daikon radish), to break up the hard subsurface soil layers. These
crops are also great at bringing up minerals and micronutrients from the
subsoil that shallow-rooted crops have a harder time reaching.
Minimizing soil disturbance also helps controlweeds. A soil can have all the
nutrients in the world, but weeds can destroy its productive capacity by
outcompeting tender crop plants for nutrients and other resources. Frequent
disturbance by digging or hoeing perpetuates the problem by dragging weed
seed reservoirs from the deeper soil layers to repopulate the surface. By
reducing or eliminating surface disturbance, organic growers can exhaust the
seed bank in the surface layer and create a more productive soil
environment. Mulch, key to reducing temperature and moisture extremes in
the soil, can also improve soil quality by shading the soil surface and putting
surface seeds into dormancy until they can be decomposed by the well-fed
soil fauna.
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a sequence of different types of crops
on the same field or garden bed over several years. While the prime reason
to follow broccoli with bell peppers might be to control cabbage moths, crop

rotation also helps maintain an appropriate balance of nutrients. The result is


healthy plants that can better resist disease. For example, too much soil
nitrogen makes tomatoes more vulnerable to late blight than those growing
with more appropriate nitrogen levels. Rotation also aids in cleaning
out diseases like fusarium wilt, which can live in soil for up to 7 years. To
reduce pathogens in the soil and maintain optimum soil health, Cornell
University plant pathologist Margaret Tuttle McGrath, Ph.D., recommends a
rotation that is longer than 7 years.
Organic soil health is complex, but the tools used to implement or restore it
are simple.

Mycorrhizal fungi
Mycorrhizas are fungal associations between plant roots
and beneficial fungi. The fungi effectively extend the
root area of plants and are extremely important to most
wild plants, but less significant for garden plants where
the use of fertilisers and cultivation disrupts and
replaces these associations.

Quick facts
Common name Mycorrhizas
Scientific name Mycorrhiza
Plants affected Almost all plants
Main causes Beneficial fungi
Timing All year

Jump to
Appearance
Cause
Mycorrhizal fungi in the garden

What are mycorrhizal fungi?


Mycorrhizas are beneficial fungi growing in association with plant roots, and exist by taking
sugars from plants in exchange for moisture and nutrients gathered from the soil by the fungal
strands. The mycorrhizas greatly increase the absorptive area of a plant, acting as extensions to
the root system.
Phosphorus is often in very short supply in natural soils. When phosphorus is present in insoluble
forms it would require a vast root system for a plant to meet its phosphorus requirements
unaided. It is therefore thought that mycorrhizas are crucial in gathering this element in
uncultivated soils. Phosphorus-rich fertilisers are widely used in cultivated ground and not only
reduce the need for this activity but are thought to actually suppress the mycorrhizas. For this
reason it is best not to use phosphorous rich fertilisers in conjunction with mycorrhizal fungi.
Neither fungi nor plants could survive in many uncultivated situations without this mutually
beneficial arrangement.
Mycorrhizas also seem to confer protection against root diseases.

Appearance
Toadstools, especially ones that follow root runs and appear below trees, can be a sign
ofectomycorrhiza (mycorrhiza living on the outside of a plant), as are the fungal coating and odd
branching structure of affected tree and shrub roots.
Endomycorrhizas (mycorrhiza living within a plant) are difficult to detect without laboratory
facilities.

Cause
Mycorrhizas are not a cause for concern. The fine fungal strands that make up mycorrhizas
associate with roots in two ways:

Ectomycorrhiza (mycorrhiza living on the outside of a plant):

Often called sheathing fungi

Found mainly in association with tree roots

Form a thick mass around the fine feeder roots

Although roots thicken and branch in ways that appear unnatural, they are not harmed
and, in fact, are helped by the fungal strands

The pattern of root branching differs between (and is characteristic of) each fungus-plant
association; pines, for example, have Y-shaped branches and beech branches are at right
angles

The fungal sheath sends out branches between the surface cells of the roots in order to
exchange nutrients from the soil for sugars from the plants

The network of branches that penetrates the roots is called a Hartig Net
Sheathing fungi often send up fruiting bodies. These include the many toadstools
commonly seen around trees that often alarm gardeners who mistake them for honey fungus

Endomycorrhiza (mycorrhiza living within a plant):

Often called vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhiza

Found mainly in association with herbaceous plants

Form strands (hyphae) within roots growing between the living cells

These hyphae extend outside the cell to form an extensive network that absorbs water
and nutrients
Strands form small storage sacs (vesicles) every so often
Fine specialised structures called arbuscules branch and enter living cells to exchange
nutrients

There are other more specialised mycorrhizas, including ones where the fungus supplies organic
compounds to plants, orchids for example, that break down soil organic matter.

Mycorrhizal fungi in the garden


Mycorrhizal fungi are often seen in gardens but may be less effective on frequently cultivated
soils that have been heavily fertilised and manured. Use of fungicides can also inhibit
mycorrhizal fungi. It is good gardening practice to use the lowest feasible amounts of manure,
fertiliser, fungicides, and cultivation. This will not only save gardeners time and money, but also
helps towards protecting the environment.

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