Morphology and infectivity of fine endophyte in a mediterranean environment

This study investigated the morphology and infectivity of fine endophyte in a mediterranean environment. Five morphological groups of fine endophyte d iffering in up to II characters were present within two pot cultures of fin e endophyte from southwestern Australia. Occurrence and abundance of a part icular type of fine endophyte were not affected by the application of calci um carbonate. It appeared that there may be more than one fungus included a mong the two sources of fine endophyte, however it was not possible to sepa rate the fungi. A second experiment demonstrated that infective propagules of fine endophyte can be very small (<38 mu m) and fresh roots acted as a p otential source of infective propagules. There was no infectivity of fine e ndophyte in the soil at the end of the growing season but it reoccurred in similar quantity in the next growing season.