To evaluate the impact of management practices on AMF
To evaluate the impact of AMF on cotton performance
To screen management options for use in low AMF situations

Canola provides a number of benefits in our farming system. It provides an early sown crop option and a disease break crop for a range of cereals and pulses including being a non-host of the root lesion nematode Pratylenchus thornei.
One of the challenges is that canola is also a non-host of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF). AMF are obligate symbionts and require the presence of a plant host for reproduction. AMF provide nutrients such as P and Zn to the plant, the plant hosts the AMF and provides carbohydrates.
AMF are important for crop production in winter crops such as linseed and faba beans and a range of key summer crops including cotton, sorghum, mung bean, maize and sunflower. The absence, or low levels, of AMF can cause reduced growth and yield in these crops, often described as long fallow disorder.
In addition, the deep-rooted habit of canola often dries out the soil profile in the year of production. In the northern region, this means a
longer fallow is often required after the canola phase to replenish soil moisture profiles. The combination of a non-host crop followed by an extended fallow can mean very low levels of AMF are present.
In regions such as the Liverpool Plains where canola production is more reliable, crop productions issues are often evident when a summer crop is grown following a canola phase. This trial was conducted to evaluate the impact of a range of management options to limit the impact of low AMF following canola and to assess the performance on sorghum. Separate reports examine the impact on cotton and mung bean.