OBJECTIVES 1993/4 Determine the common species of V AM fungi in the cotton areas of eastern Australia. Place the fungi in pot culture. From areas where 3 - 5 of the common fungi are found, collect further soil samples and determine the infectivity of the soils and individual fungal species. This gives information on the importance of the common species in individual sites and their usefulness as predictors of the population. 1994/5 Determine the sources of fungal infection (survival structures), their location in the soil profile and their density. This experiment would need to include representative soil samples from several climates. From individual fungi in pot culture, determine the survival structures, subject the fungi to factors like cultivation, fungicide application) fallow etc. Follow the fungi through to recovery. This work would continue into 9516. 1995/6 Experimentally, determine the fungal structures that survive long fallow or disturbance, the rates of recovery of fungal populations, and the effects on mycorrhizal infection and plant growth. We will also determine the location of propagules of VAM fungi in the soil profile