Record ID No. |
4654 |
Author(s) |
Asunción Morte, Alberto Andrino , 2014 |
Affiliation |
Dpto. Biología Vegetal (Botánica), Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Regional “Campus Mare Nostrum”, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain, Email: amorte@um.es |
Title |
Domestication: Preparation of Mycorrhizal Seedlings |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
Desert Truffles Soil Biology (38): 343-365p. |
Categories |
Mycorrhiza General |
Subjects |
Soil plant relations |
Sub-subjects |
Nursery Management |
Host |
Helianthemum almeriense |
Organism |
Mycorrhiza |
Country |
Spain, Southern Europe |
Abstracts |
The first step towards maximising desert truffle production in orchards is to use high-quality mycorrhizal plants. For this purpose, a suitable host plant species should be chosen, taking into account edaphic and bioclimatic conditions and, if possible, it is better to use a perennial species than an annual one. For plant propagation, a photoautotrophic Helianthemum micropropagation system was developed, and the normal culture medium composition was modified by eliminating sucrose, using perlite instead of agar and reducing the NH4 +/NO3 – ratio according to light intensity. To ascertain the most suitable moment for plant transplantation from in vitro to ex vitro conditions for avoiding plant losses, the probability of plant survival before the acclimation process was estimated based only on a chlorophyll metre SPAD-502 measurement. The maximum survival rate for H. almeriense was established at 28 SPAD-502 units, or its equivalent in total chlorophyll content—1.6 mg/g leaf.
Desert truffle spores and mycelium have been used successfully to produce mycorrhizae. However, mature spores are used more frequently than mycelium due to the slow growth of the latter in vitro. Fungal inoculation should be carried out at the moment plants are transferred from in vitro to ex vitro conditions so that plant acclimatisation and mycorrhization occur at the same time. A fungal inoculum dose of 3.5–4.5 × 105 mature spores/plant is recommended, using perlite as a carrier. In addition, a fertilisation protocol of mycorrhizal H. almeriense plants was established to maintain the symbiosis during potting and in the long-term nursery conditions. A certification analysis (morphological and/or molecular) of the mycorrhiza should be carried out before planting. Such characterisation is also important to evaluate the permanence of the mycorrhiza under field conditions. |