Diversity and Abundance of Mycorrhizal Fungi Spores in Gmelina arborea Stand Gusmiaty 1 , Siti Halimah Larekeng 2 , Lily Istigfaiyah 3 1,2,3 Biotechnology and Tree Breeding Laboratory, Department of Forestry, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Hasanuddin, Indonesia. 90245 {umyhody@gmail.com 1 , sitih5h.82@gmail.com 2 , lilyansar@outlook.com 3 } Abstract. Mycorrhizas are the symbiotic associations between plant and fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi always associate with the roots of higher plants, indeed over 90% of plant species, including forest trees, wild grasses and many crops. This study aims to determine the type of spores associated with Gmelina arborea stands. This research consisted of collecting root samples, identifying fungal spores in root samples and observing arbuscular mychorriza fungal infections. The results showed that the types of spores observed in root samples were Glomus, Gigaspora, and Scutellospora. The percentage of colonization on both sites is medium. Keywords: Mycorrhiza, Vesicular, Arbuscular, Gmelina arborea. 1 Introduction Melina (Gmelina arborea Roxb) is one type of tree that has the potential to be developed in industrial plantations and community plantations [1]. Melina has rapid growth (fast growing species) and uses as raw material for the pulp industry, materials for making particle boards, plywood cores, matches, containers and wood craft materials [2]. The benefits of Melina cultivation are easy to plant maintenance, not complicated planting techniques and good economic value [3]. One effort to support Melina's growth is to increase the fertility of the soil which can be done by giving organic fertilizer. However, in large-scale planting, the fertilizer needed is relatively large and expensive. Therefore, an alternative method is needed to increase soil fertility through mycorrhizal utilization. True mycorrhiza comes from the Greek language, mykes, which means mushroom, and rhiza means root, so literally means root mushroom. Mycorrhizal fungi can associate with over 90% of higher plant species (including agricultural crops) and are found in soil of all continents from alpine lands to tropical forests and from grasslands to croplands [4,5]. Mycorrhiza can colonize and develop symbiotic mutualism with plant roots, so it can increase plant growth, and help suppress the development of several soil pathogens. Mycorrhizal infection can increase plant growth and its ability to utilize nutrients, especially the elements P, Ca, N, Cu, Mn, K, and Mg [6,7,8,9]. This is caused by mycorrhizal colonization in plant roots can expand the field of root uptake [10]. ICOST 2019, May 02-03, Makassar, Indonesia Copyright © 2019 EAI DOI 10.4108/eai.2-5-2019.2284693