North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Alan Haigh <alandhaigh@gmail.com>]

When I first encountered an explanation of mychorrhizal relationships in the
library of the school where I was studying horticulture many years ago, I
was very excited by the image of strands of fungus extending the reach of
plant roots many times- it changed how I picture the underworld to an image
of vast connectedness between all the plants and the fungus of the soil
functioning almost as one vast organism.

I read as much as I could find on the subject and the information gleaned
made me very suspicious about packaged mychorrizal products that began
coming out several years later.  These relationships aren't terribly species
specific as I understand it and it is only  in rare circumstances where
research has shown inoculation of the soil can be helpful.  These include
sterilized soils, mining areas where the native soil has been removed and to
a lesser extent trees can sometimes be helped in a soil that has supported
nothing but prairie species for a very long time and prairie plants likewise
in forest soils.  That is at least how I remember it.  In normal soils there
are compatible fungus for every plant that benefits from these relationships
and the process is not speeded by any human intervention.

More recently, I've heard that mustard weed contains antibiotics that are
very damaging to the symbiotic fungus and this invasive plant is creating
some problems in the ecology of forests for this reason.  Anyone have some
more information on that topic?