Methods for Single-Spore Cultures of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Using a Superabsorbent Polymer-Based Autotrophic System.

Single-spore cultures of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are essential for taxonomy, genomics, experimental ecology, and the production of well-characterized inoculum. Classical pot cultures in opaque substrates make monitoring the establishment of symbiosis and verifying culture purity difficult, whereas in vitro cultures on Ri T-DNA-transformed roots require sterile conditions and support only a limited subset of AMF species. Transparent "soils" based on superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) offer a simple alternative that combines the advantages of in vivo and in vitro systems. Here, we present the superabsorbent polymer-based autotrophic system (SAP-AS), a simple and inexpensive culture system. The SAP-AS allows for easy single-spore inoculation, monitoring, and maintenance.