Rhizophagus Irregularis Responds Differentially to Commercial Fungicides in in Vitro Root Organ Cultures

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi are an ancient asexual type of fungi that undergo symbiosis with a majority of land plants and provide them essential services. Modern agriculture’s use of fungicides has the potential to hinder this important symbiosis by damaging these fungi and their capacity to reproduce. While certain studies have looked at the effect of fungicides in the field or in greenhouse experiments, few have looked at the effect of fungicides on AMF in controlled laboratory environments using a new culture method referred to as a root organ culture. This petri dish culture method allows for a far greater control of variables affecting the growth of the fungus as well as greater visibility of the fungus since the growth medium (phytagel) is transparent. The commercial fungicides used in this experiment demonstrated an effect on AMF growth, in some cases decreasing biomass, increasing spore count and producing abnormal growth phenotypes. The detrimental effect of fungicides