EFFECTS OF JASMONIC ACID ON MYCORRHIZAL ALLIUM-SATIVUM

In experiments on spruce we have shown that jasmonic acid (Jh), a cycl opentanone fatty acid, influences the ectomycorrhizal formation: we th erefore also applied it to an endomycorrhizal symbiosis. Garlic (Alliu m sativum (L.)) bulbs were potted into substrates inoculated or not wi th arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and one half of the plants was foliar-treated with 5 mu M JA. A synergistic effect of JA treatment an d AMF inoculation on shoot length was found. Root growth of inoculated plants was accelerated especially when JA was applied. Either JA or A MF inoculation significantly enhanced bulb development. Mycorrhizal co lonization was promoted and the development of arbuscules and vesicles was enhanced upon JA application.