Controlled inoculation of reforestation seedlings with ectomycorrhizal fungi: current knowledge in Spain

Abstract

ResumenDesde el trabajo publicado por Pardos en 1962, se ha desarrollado una importante actividad investigadora en el campo de las ectomicorrizas en España; especialmente en los últimos 20 años. En este artículo, revisaremos los avances conseguidos en el estudio de los hongos ectomicorrícicos en lo que se refiere a su aplicación a la producción de planta para repoblación y a los resultados obtenidos en plantaciones experimentales. Los resultados publicados, principalmente con coníferas inoculadas con hongos de los géneros: Hebeloma, Laccaria, Pisolithus, Rhizopogon, Scleroderma o Suillus, demuestran que la micorrización controlada con hongos seleccionados mejora los procesos de repoblación y revegetación en distintas situaciones ambientales, como: el establecimiento de masas en suelos forestales productivos, tanto con especies autóctonas como con especies exóticas de rápido crecimiento, la repoblación de suelos agrarios abandonados, o la revegetación de suelos áridos de la zona mediterránea.Palabras clave: ectomicorriza, vivero forestal, micorrización de plantones, supervivencia y crecimiento en plantación, reforestación, revegetación. Abstract Controlled inoculation of reforestation seedlings with ectomycorrhizal fungi: current knowledge in SpainAfter the paper published by Pardos in 1962 a considerable effort of investigation on ectomycorrhizas has been done in Spain, especially during the last 20 years. In our article we review the progress achieved in our country concerning the knowledge of ectomycorrhizal fungi, in particular their use in the controlled inoculation of nursery grown plants for reforestation and revegetation purposes, and the performance of these mycorrhizal plants in experimental plantations. Published results mainly involve different conifer species inoculated with fungi belonging to the genera: Hebeloma, Laccaria, Pisolithus, Rhizopogon, Scleroderma or Suillus. These results show that controlled mycorrhizal inoculations with selected fungi improve the reforestation and revegetation processes in defined environmental situations, such as: reforestation of productive forest soils, both using native or introduced tree species, reforestation of set-aside agricultural lands, or revegetation of arid soils in the Mediterranean regions of Spain.Key words: ectomycorrhiza, forest nursery, seedling mycorrhization, field performance, reforestation, revegetation. IntroducciónDel orden del 95% de las especies de plantas terrestres conocidas establecen una simbiosis, a nivel radical y de forma natural, con una serie de hongos del suelo.Esta simbiosis hongo -raíz se conoce con el nombre de micorriza. Se han descrito distintos tipos de micorrizas en función de las estructuras que forman, aunque para las especies arbóreas de interés forestal el tipo de micorriza más importante es el conocido como ectomicorriza (Marks y Kozlowski, 1973; Harley y Smith, 1983; Smith y Read, 1997

Effects of organic acid application and ectomycorrhizal symbiosis on growth and morphological parameters of <em>Pinus pseudostrobus</em>

“…In particular, plants with citrate and tartrate showed a decrease in stem diameter while the addition of malate, oxalate and succinate affected plant cover. Mycorrhizae impose an initial cost on young plants, reducing their performance in the short-term during the early stages of colonization as other studies have found, but this initial cost is compensated by strong benefits later on (Pera & Parladé 2005). This ontogenic transition warrants further investigation in our study system with P. pseudostrobus.…”

“…The mutualism between gymnosperms and ectomycorrhizal fungi have been thoroughly studied, and many fungal genera are commonly used to improve gymnosperm growth (Pera & Parladé 2005). Pisolithus arhizus (previously known as Pisolithus tinctorius) is a gasteroid, globose, ectomycorrhiza that has been used with different trees and shrubs to increase their overall growth and root length and volume, as well as phosphorus nutrition, especially in soils with phosphorus deficiency (Gómez-Romero et al 2015, Becerril-Navarrete et al 2022.…”

Monitoring Water-Soil Dynamics and Tree Survival Using Soil Sensors under a Big Data Approach

“…The candidate relationships between mycorrhiza species and tree species (i.e., study species) used expert-based knowledge and previous studies [23,24]. For the case of ectomycorrhizas, the prepared solution ranged from 5 × 10 5 to 5 × 10 6 spores/mL while for the Rhizophagus spp., a standard inoculation procedure was followed [25].…”

Spores of ectomycorrhizal fungi as inoculants for Nothofagus pumilio and exotic conifer seedlings in Patagonia, Argentina: their activity and conservation

“…The fresh weight (g) of each species necessary to inoculate 1,000 seedlings was calculated considering a reference dose of 10 6 active spores, as proved to be the most recommendable to be used with different conifer species and Eucalyptus spp. (Chen et al 2006;Parlade ´et al 1996;Pera and Parlade ´2005;Rinco ´n et al 2007). Calculations considered active spores after 30, 120 and 270 days of storage, with the following formula: necessary fresh weigth ¼ 1 Â 10 6 active spores À Á Â 1; 000 seedlings active spores/g ð Þ…”

“…Mycorrhizal fungi help plants to increase nutrients and water capture, thus improving their establishment and growth, as well as contributing with soil structure restoration and nutrient-cycle re-establishment (Jasper et al 1987). Since these conifers are established on grasslands with no EM species (Fontenla et al 1998), and because altered native forests lose their EM inocula due to degradation, afforestation and restoration activities aim to introduce and/or to re-establish them (Pera and Parlade ´2005;Valenzuela Flores 1993). The simplest and generally more appropriate time to incorporate the EM inocula is during plant production at the nursery.…”