Abstract
MANY investigators have demonstrated the importance of ectotrophic mycorrhizae in the growth of trees. The role of these structures is physiological: mycorrhizae increase the absorbing surface area of roots; they exert a more selective ion absorption and accumulation, and they make very slightly soluble substances in soil available to their host. Another function has been postulated by Zak1, who suggested that ectotrophic mycorrhizal roots may be less susceptible than non-mycorrhizal roots to infection by root pathogens. He proposed several mechanisms by which these structures could be resistant to pathogenic infections.
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References
Zak, B., Ann. Rev. Phytopath., 2, 377 (1964).
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MARX, D., DAVEY, C. Ectotrophic Mycorrhizae as Deterrents to Pathogenic Root Infections. Nature 213, 1139 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/2131139a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2131139a0
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