Mycorrhization of containerized Pinus nigra seedlings with Suillus granulatus under open field conditions

Abstract

Seedling mycorrhization acts as an efficient tool for improving the quality of seedlings. In this study, the effectiveness of Suillus granulatus, originating from Pinus heldreichii forests (Montenegro), to produce containerized ectomycorrhizal seedlings of autochthonous Pinus nigra in open field conditions was investigated. Spore (10 6 , 10 7 , 10 8 ) and vegetative (1:16, 1:8, 1:4) inoculation on ectomycorrhizal formation and seedling growth were tested. Spore and vegetative inoculums of autochthonous Pisolithus arhizus were used in the same trial as additional control treatments.The utilization of vegetative and spore inoculums of autochthonous S. granulatus has proven to be an effective method of obtaining containerized ectomycorrhizal P. nigra seedlings under open field conditions after 11 months. S. granulatus spore inoculations resulted in well developed ectomycorrhiza, decreasing the growth of the P. nigra seedlings in the first growing season. Mycelial inoculations resulted in slightly developed S. granulatus ectomycorrhiza, which increased the growth of the seedlings. Therefore, it would be feasible to use spore inocula of S. granulatus, with 10 6 spores per plant, to produce ectomycorrhizal P. nigra plants on a large scale. Controlled mycorrhizal inoculation of seedlings is not a common practice in Montenegrin and Serbian nurseries; as such, the obtained results will contribute to the enhancement of nursery production of Pinus nigra and other conifers. This also could be assumed as a starting point for many further efforts and investigations with autochthonous fungal and plant material in this region.

Comparison of root-associated communities of native and non-native ectomycorrhizal hosts in an urban landscape

“…It is of note that our qPCR estimators of ITS1 copy numbers aimed to test inoculum loads, but included likely a large proportion of non-EcM taxa as indicated by the presence of many non-EcM OTUs in the ectomycorrhizospheres. Further, the high colonization of the non-native pine suggests readily available and compatible inoculum, a result consistent with other studies that have shown P. nigra broad compatibility with cosmopolitan EcM fungi as well as species typically associated with members of Pinaceae or Fagaceae (Martin-Pinot et al 2006;Lazarevic et al 2012;Trocha et al 2012). Our high and rather stable colonization may relate to minimal soil disturbance near our urban mature trees, the adjacency of the two hosts at each of the sites, or the relatively adjacent undisturbed non-urban inoculum sources around the small urban center.…”

“…Pinus nigra (Austrian pine) is native to Mediterranean Europe but often chosen as an ornamental in Kansas and mixed with various Quercus spp. Although exotic to North America, inoculation and common garden studies show that P. nigra is broadly compatible with cosmopolitan EcM taxa (Martin-Pinot et al 2006) and share fungi with other Pinaceae (Lazarevic et al 2012) as well as Fagaceae (Trocha et al 2012). One isolated individual of each species was selected at each of the six urban sites for a total of twelve trees across the study (Table 1).…”

Root System Development of Juvenile Ponderosa Pine as Influenced by Soil Type and Nutritional Augmentation

“…Kuntze, a common fungus often associated with this pine in the northern Sierra Nevada [15,21] and one long known to infect its root systems [22,23]. Mycorrhizal coloration and morphology here largely conformed to that documented for this symbiont specifically [23][24][25], but it was not possible to confirm its identity through its sporocarps, despite their unique appearance [26], because none were found in the seedling containers at any juncture of the study, although they occur seasonally at both of the field sites where the three soils were obtained and in the vicinity of the greenhouse where the study was conducted.…”

Mycorrhization and Use of Super Absorbent Polymers in Targeted Production of Hardwoods Planting Material

“…In Montenegrin and Serbian nurseries, controlled mycorrhizal inoculation of seedlings has yet to become a common practice, but positive experiences with mycorrhization of conifer seedlings by autochthonous fungal isolates from this region have been already known for conifers (Lazarević, 2010;Lazarević et al, 2012 ), also as in case of conifer and hardwood mycorhization with commercial products (Lazarević, 2009).…”