Information on the influence of endophyte on mineral composition of forage grasses is limited (see Chapter 11). Vazquez-de-Aldana et al. (1999) investigated the influence of endophyte infection on mineral composition of tall fescue. Nitrogen and Mg concentrations were greater in E+ than in E- tall fescue, and time and infection status interacted to influence concentrations of N, P, Ca, and Mg. Less Ca and more Mg accumulated in E+ than in E- plants, while P and K were not affected (Hoveland et al., 1983). Consistently higher concentrations of Fe occurred in E- than in E+ plants (Dennis et al., 1998). In some instances the influence was indirect and mediated by grazing livestock, with nutrients redistributed across the landscape in different spatial patterns depending on the endophyte status of the sward (Wilkinson et al., 1989).
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