Definition: Mycorrhiza

Wood industry: action exerted by a fungus colonising the soil space near the roots and penetrating the roots themselves. Subsequently, a symbiotic relationship develops, whereby the tree provides organic substances such as sugars formed by photosynthesis and the fungus provides mineral substances drawn from the soil in concentrated form. The best-known mycorrhizal fungi of oak trees are truffles and cep mushrooms. This symbiotic association between the mycelium of a fungus and the roots of a plant is called plant symbiosis.