I don't doubt they were, and I can't claim that mycos are a busted myth yet either. I had been thinking I would write up why I doubt mycos, but you have made me realize I need to do some testing before I open my mouth. I have used mycos in field conditions at school. We tested yield, establishment rate, and broke the plants down to roots and shoots and tested each for mineral content, biomass, and chlorophyl density. What we found was that plants with mycos in poor soil showed massive increases in all categories. Plants with NO mycos however outperformed plants with mycos and rich nutritious soil.
We also found decreasing benefit in year two, and that if we fertilized the mycos in poor soil the benefit was gone. Others have shown that the trading of sugars with the plant for nutrients did not occur in the presence of fertilizers. A third problem is that endo-mycos do not associate with plants in the presence of ecto-mycos. Why we are not sure, but half of the brands out there have added ectos to their product, ensuring decreased efficiency.
Mind = Blown!
