Frequently asked questions
We are here opening
a FAQ section. We are happy
about feedback. For more information,
please view the Getting Started page.
How much to apply in my experiment?
This depends on your experimental setup and
question.
Fast early colonization requires
high inoculation strength (many "primary infections" needed), later the system
becomes "saturated" (the symbiosis and the fungus propagate,
"secondary infections").
You can get mycorrhization with very low amounts of inoculum, if you
wait long enough. If you need fast AM establishment (= by high rate
of primary infections) this requires high inoculation pressure.
So, it depends – there is no "one answer". Also depends on your
substrate, temperature, plant, etc. Inoculation in a planting hole provides higher
initial concentrations than a homogenous mixture in the substrate
providing more homogenous symbiosis establishment, etc. In a
'normal' soil you may often have 10-80 AMF spores per milliliter, as
an indication, whereas some agricultural soils may be (almost) AMF depleted.
Just as an indication (be aware that differences in growth
temperature, substrate, light, etc., can and will make a difference,
so please be aware that your conditions have strong impact on such
values):
With lettuce as host in calcined attapulgite clay in 50 ml small
pots assays, after 5 weeks we roughly get the following colonization
rates:
10 spores/ml 15% colonization
20 spores/ml 30% colonization
40 spores/ml 50-60% colonization
Note, that from >50% the reaction is not linear any more, to the
inoculation strength, as it starts to get into “saturation”.
If you sample 1 week later, you may have 10-20 % more colonization
(again, depends on temperature, etc.), another week later everything
may already be in “saturation”.
If you setup an experiment you should be aware
that the colonization is a dynamic process, and an end-point
estimation of colonization is not telling you what happened the
weeks before.
Thus, many people use high concentrations for +/- AM comparison
experiments to have a fast start and by just going into the
“saturation” (= maximum you can get).
You should check your conditions, dependent on your question.
If you need to see differences dependent on inoculations strength,
you need to calibrate your system first to be sure you have
differences at a certain time point.
What is the minimal order size?
We do not accept orders smaller than the units in the products list, except specific requests for samples. Small orders cause considerable shipping and handling costs.
Why you send your products in plastic bottles, bags or pouches?
The products must be protected and we have no other option than using plastic (coatings) for a reasonable packing. The materials chosen are as eco-friendly as possible.
Can I publish details regarding the used fungi?
Yes, we will provide you with data regarding origin, classification, and other issues, as far as known. Most of these data will be presented at this web-site.
Can I get lyophilized AM fungi?
No. We have tested lyophilized and deep temperature vacuum dried spores, with very mixed and often not very positive results. We do not offer such material.
Help or customized services?
We may offer a set of customized services for your needs. Please
also
inquire for B2B and
OEM mycorrhizal fungi
containing product development.
We have partners supplying agricultural
markets, also in large scales.