Is more mycorrhizae better, or is different mycorrhizae on root stems of pine advantageous?
Mycorrhizal deficiency Some level of mycorrhizal colonization is necessary for adequate development of the southern pines. Without mycorrhizae, slash pine (Pinus elliottii) in Puerto Rico grew to a height of approximately 12 cm in five years (Vozzo, 1971). However, mycorrhizal deficiencies are not common in the southern pine region of the United States. Under most circumstances, pine seedlings are rapidly infected with ectomycorrhizal symbionts. Due to the ubiquitous nature of the air-borne spores, it is very difficult to grow non-mycorrhizal pine seedlings. In Georgia, an electronically air-filtered, plant-growth room is usually required to grow non-ectomycorrhizal seedlings (Marx and Bryan, 1969). However, under certain conditions ectomycorrhizal deficiencies in tree nurseries have been reported. This deficiency occurs on newly expanded bare root pine nurseries on “new ground.” New ground can be defined as soil having no previous history of producing an ectomycorrhizal crop (South
