Mycorrhizal plants of Vaccinium mocrocarpon Aiton used nuclei from salmon sperm as a sole source of phosphorus (P) and achieved similar yields, P content and P concentration to plants crown with orthophosphate. Mycorrhizal infection significantly increased the effectiveness of utilization of both inorganic and organic (nuclei) sources of P by Vaccinium but in the case of the organic source this involved providing access to P which was completely unavailable to the uninfected plants. The results provide further support for the view that ericoid mycorrhizas have a crucial role in direct recycling of nutrients from organic matter, independent of the mineralizing activities of saprotrophic micro-organisms.
Keywords: mycorrhiza; nutrient cycling; organic phosphorus; phosphodiesters; phosphorus nutrition.