Simple diagnosis of ectomycorrhiza formation and demonstration of the architecture of the Hartig net by means of a clearing technique

Coniferous ectomycorrhiza was cleared in KOH and bleached in H 2 0 2 . After the treatment, the structure of the Hartig net and inner mantle could be studied in detail in entire mycorrhizal short roots. The Hartig net and inner mantle were found to be formed by the same type of labyrinthic tissue, a result of morphogenetic processes during mycorrhiza formation. Even early phases of mycorrhizal infection could easily be detected, which makes the method very suitable for diagnosticating mycorrhiza formation accurately.