What are mycorrhiza fungi and glomalin?
Wednesday, 4 September 2013 | HOTBIN Composting
What is mycorrhiza fungi?
It is a type of fungi found in 95% of all vascular plant root systems. It acts symbiotically with plant roots - the plants provides sugar/carbon to the fungus and in return the fungi transfers nutrients and water to the plant roots. The white hypae have a vast surface area and hence uptake network for nutrients. The white appearance should not be confused with white decomposing fungi - they have totally different roles in the soil eco-system.
What is Glomalin?
It is a glycoprotein produced by the hyphae of mycorrhizal fungi. Glomalin is a relatively new discovery (1996) and the exact way it works is still being researched.