Penicillium bilaii inoculation increases root-hair production in field pea

Abstract

Under three levels of phosphorus availability, inoculation of pea plants with Penicillium bilaii in growth pouches had no effect on root length (excluding root hairs), mean root diameter, root-hair diameter, P accumulation or shoot growth. However, inoculation with P. bilaii resulted in a 22% increase in the proportion of root containing root hairs and a 33% increase in the mean root-hair length. Key words: Pea, Penicillium bilaii, Pisum sativum, phosphorus, root hairs, root morphology