Role of Mycorrhizae in Forestry

Mycorrhiza is the result of a plant-microbial interaction in the soil of great ecological significance. Mycorrhizae are formed by association between a plant root and a fungus, and by far the majority of vascular plants are involved in these associations. There are a number of different forms of mycorrhizal association, but in many cases the fungus involved (the mycobiont) enhances plant uptake of nutrients from the soil, increases rootlet size and longevity, protects the root system from many pathogens, and can also absorb and translocate water to the plant host (Killham, 1994).