ABSTRACTThe storage of inoculum (mycorrhizal spores and roots in soil) as prerequisite treatment for increasing axenic spore germination was investigated with a tropical isolate ofGlomus clarum.Prolonged dry storage of the inoculum, for up to 6 months at 25–30 C, increased percentage spore germination significantly on water agar. If, following dry storage, the extracted spores were then stored at 4 C for at least 2 weeks, germination was further enhanced. Incubation temperatures of 25–35 C and medium pH of 5–8 were most favorable for germination. These requirements may be significant in understanding the ecophysiology of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in their natural environment.