What is Mycorrhiza: Classification of Mycorrhizae II Free study material II LetsBloom Study material II ROOT ANATOMY IN RELEATION TO MYCORHIZA

INTRODUCTION:

When plants live in challenging location then some kind of mechanism help them to survive .
One important set of survival mechanism involve creating mutual beneficial relationship (SYMBIOTIC) between plant roots and soil borne bacteria. Such as in between fungi and roots .
The association between roots and fungi is called as MYCORHIZA
Mycorrhizal fungi are heterogenous group of diverse fungal taxa associated with roots of around 90% of plants species.
The term Mycorrhiza means:
MYCO:-Fungi
RRHIZA: Roots

Thus, mycorrhizae are the symbiotic associations between plant root and fungi, with bidirectional nutrient exchange between the partners.

FEATURES OF MYCORHIZA

Mycorrhizal fungi colonize environments such as alpine and boreal zones, tropical forests, grasslands and croplands.
They have a major role in nutrient cycling through the specific activity of their mycelium in absorbing soil nutrients and supplying them to the plant .
Mycorrhizal fungi develop an extensive hyphal network in the soil, the aptly named wood-wide web4, which can connect whole plant communities offering efficient horizontal transfer of nutrients.
Mycorrhizas develop specialized areas, called symbiotic interfaces, to interact with the host.
They lack any Phyto pathological symptoms in the partners during the active phase of mutualism.