Arbuscular mycorrhiza alter the concentration of essential oils in oregano (Origanum sp., Lamiaceae)

The effect of root colonization by Glomus mosseae on the qualitative and quantitative pattern of essential oils (EO) was determined in three oregano genotypes (Origanum sp.). To exclude a simple P-mediated effect through mycorrhization the effect of P application to plants on the EO accumulation was also tested. In two genotypes the leaf biomass was increased through mycorrhization. Root colonization by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) did not have any significant effect on the EO composition in oregano; however, in two genotypes the EO concentration significantly increased. As EO levels in P-treated plants were not enhanced, we conclude that the EO increase observed in mycorrhizal oregano plants is not due to an improved P status in mycorrhizal plants, but depends directly on the AMF-oregano plant association.