The plantation cover legume, Pueraria phaseoloides, was inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and grown in several phosphorus-deficient soils (six Ultisols, two Oxisols, an Entisol and a Spodosol) with or without a supply of phosphate fertiliser, in a glasshouse experiment. In most unsteamed soils, introduced fungi did not enhance plant growth despite the low inoculum potential of the indigenous endophytes. Irrespective of phosphate applied, growth increases from mycorrhizal inoculation were only achieved in steamed Bungor and Rengam and unsteamed Jambu series soils, or in unsteamed Rasau series soils with added phosphate. The results were discussed in terms of the varying phosphate-fixation capacities of the different soils, the effects of soil steaming and mycorrhizal dependency of P. phaseoloides.