14.7 “Zur Kenntniss der Wurzelknöllchen der
Papilionaceen” by Franz Schindler, 1884
Franz Friedrich Schindler (1884) noted that legumes formed root nodules when there
was a lack of available nitrogen in the soil, and that the nodules were both more
numerous and larger in nitrogen-poor soil as compared to nodulation in soil that
contained adequate nitrogen. By my translation, I would quote Schindler as having
stated “... it seems so certain that they [the nodules] cannot be regarded as “pathological excesses”; they rather belong to the normal life of the plant, and for this
reason alone the organisms observed therein cannot be identified with parasites in
the ordinary sense of the word. The closest assumption is that one is dealing with a
phenomenon of symbiosis” “Vienna, December 30, 1883.”
14.8 “Ueber die auf Wurzelsymbiose beruhende Ernährung
gewisser Bäume durch unterirdische Pilze” by
Bernhard Frank, 1885
Albert Bernhard Frank (1885) first described in this publication the role of an
ectosymbiosis between plant roots and fungal hyphae, and he is credited with
initially presenting in this 1885 publication the term mycorrhiza. Frank had been
commissioned by the King of Prussia (Wilhelm I) to develop practical methods for
truffle cultivation. Wilhelm I also became the first German Emperor. Although the
truffle project was not successful, eventually that project led Frank to this elucidation
of the nature and development of mycorrhizae.
Frank described this observed plant and fungal interaction as being a relationship
in which the entire root system of a tree was enclosed by fungal mycelium, with there
being a core to the structure that represents the actual tree root and a bark that is
organically intergrown with the fungal hyphae.
Frank indicated that there was no evidence of fungal growth on the radicle of the
seedlings, and that both the taproot and initial side roots likewise were fungus-free.
Fungal growth gradually could be seen to appear on those first and subsequent side
roots. Fungal hyphae initially attached themselves to the root epidermis at individual
points, and the fungus then developed branches that crawled on the root and
connecting the fungal coat with the root. His description included knowledge that
this fungal coating completely envelops the root as if the fungus were a mantle (also
termed a cloak), the fungus also covered the vegetative point of the root and the
fungus grows with the root tip behaving in every respect like a peripheral tissue that
is organically connected to the root. Frank also indicated that the formation of root
hair seemed to have been made impossible by the firmly attached fungal covering.
But, to a certain extent, root hairs were replaced by formation of the fungal mantle.
The external cells of the fungal mantle extended outward and spread between the
surrounding soil particles. Frank believed that the organic connection between the
220
C. J. Hurst
Papilionaceen” by Franz Schindler, 1884
Franz Friedrich Schindler (1884) noted that legumes formed root nodules when there
was a lack of available nitrogen in the soil, and that the nodules were both more
numerous and larger in nitrogen-poor soil as compared to nodulation in soil that
contained adequate nitrogen. By my translation, I would quote Schindler as having
stated “... it seems so certain that they [the nodules] cannot be regarded as “pathological excesses”; they rather belong to the normal life of the plant, and for this
reason alone the organisms observed therein cannot be identified with parasites in
the ordinary sense of the word. The closest assumption is that one is dealing with a
phenomenon of symbiosis” “Vienna, December 30, 1883.”
14.8 “Ueber die auf Wurzelsymbiose beruhende Ernährung
gewisser Bäume durch unterirdische Pilze” by
Bernhard Frank, 1885
Albert Bernhard Frank (1885) first described in this publication the role of an
ectosymbiosis between plant roots and fungal hyphae, and he is credited with
initially presenting in this 1885 publication the term mycorrhiza. Frank had been
commissioned by the King of Prussia (Wilhelm I) to develop practical methods for
truffle cultivation. Wilhelm I also became the first German Emperor. Although the
truffle project was not successful, eventually that project led Frank to this elucidation
of the nature and development of mycorrhizae.
Frank described this observed plant and fungal interaction as being a relationship
in which the entire root system of a tree was enclosed by fungal mycelium, with there
being a core to the structure that represents the actual tree root and a bark that is
organically intergrown with the fungal hyphae.
Frank indicated that there was no evidence of fungal growth on the radicle of the
seedlings, and that both the taproot and initial side roots likewise were fungus-free.
Fungal growth gradually could be seen to appear on those first and subsequent side
roots. Fungal hyphae initially attached themselves to the root epidermis at individual
points, and the fungus then developed branches that crawled on the root and
connecting the fungal coat with the root. His description included knowledge that
this fungal coating completely envelops the root as if the fungus were a mantle (also
termed a cloak), the fungus also covered the vegetative point of the root and the
fungus grows with the root tip behaving in every respect like a peripheral tissue that
is organically connected to the root. Frank also indicated that the formation of root
hair seemed to have been made impossible by the firmly attached fungal covering.
But, to a certain extent, root hairs were replaced by formation of the fungal mantle.
The external cells of the fungal mantle extended outward and spread between the
surrounding soil particles. Frank believed that the organic connection between the
220
C. J. Hurst