Science Forums 2

[Michaelangelica]

Two Articles on Glomalin
1 (5 page pdf with photos of Glomalin)

AMF are ancient microorganisms that evolved with plants as they moved from water to land.
These fungi are beneficial to plants because hyphae, hair-like projections of the fungus, explore more soil than plant roots can reach and transport phosphorus and some other nutrients to the plant. In return, plants provide carbon for growth of the fungus.

How to increase glomalin in soils:

1. · Use no-till management practices to allow AMF to grow during the cropping season. Tillage disrupts the hyphal network that produces glomalin. Disruption of the hyphal network also decreases the number of spores and hyphae to start the process again on the next crop.
2. · Use cover crops to maintain living roots for the fungi to colonize.
3. · Maintain adequate phosphorus level for crops, but do not over-apply P because high levels depress the activity of these fungi.
4. · Be aware that there are some crops that do not associate with AMF. These plants are primarily Brassicaceae (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, canola). A nonmycorrhizal crop is equivalent to fallow for AMF.

Benefit of glomalin:
Increased aggregate stability which leads to better soil structure which, in turn, leads to better
plant production.

http://invam.caf.wvu.edu/methods/myc...n_brochure.pdf
2.

A sticky protein seems to be the unsung hero of soil carbon storage.

Until its discovery in 1996 by ARS soil scientist Sara F. Wright, this soil "super glue" was mistaken for an unidentifiable constituent of soil organic matter. Rather, it permeates organic matter, binding it to silt, sand, and clay particles.
Not only does glomalin contain 30 to 40 percent carbon, but it also forms clumps of soil granules called aggregates.
These add structure to soil and keep other stored soil carbon from escaping. A sticky protein seems to be the unsung hero of soil carbon storage.
. . .
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, found living on plant roots around the world, appear to be the only producers of glomalin.
Wright named glomalin after Glomales, the taxonomic order that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi belong to.
The fungi use carbon from the plant to grow and make glomalin.
In return, the fungi's hairlike filaments, called hyphae, extend the reach of plant roots.
Hyphae function as pipes to funnel more water and nutrients--particularly phosphorus--to the plants.

Glomalin hiding place for a third of the world's stored soil carbon Agricultural Research - Find Articles
3 Ok I can't count, just added this & some pics.
Glomalin is brown. I don't know why the pictures of it are green?

Specific practices that could accomplish this (reducing SOC turnover and enhancing sequestration,) include manipulating the quality of plant C inputs, planting perennial species, minimizing tillage and other disturbances, maintaining a near-neutral soil pH and adequate amounts of exchangeable base cations (particularly calcium), ensuring adequate drainage, and minimizing erosion. In some soils, amendment with micro- and mesoporous sorbents that have a high specific surface – such as fly ash or charcoal – can be beneficial.

SpringerLink - Journal Article