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Mycorrhizal status of Eucalyptus plantations in south China and implications for management

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Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the mycorrhizal status of Eucalyptus plantations in south China and to determine the need for inoculation. In four provinces in south China, 155 plantations were sampled for sporocarps of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, and mycorrhizas over 2 years. This study revealed a low above-ground diversity of ECM fungi consisting of 15 taxa fruiting beneath Eucalyptus plantations. The most common ECM genera were Scleroderma and Pisolithus, but they were infrequent. A total of 21 AM fungi, mostly Glomus species, were recognized from spores collected from eucalypt plantations. Four Glomus species were frequently present in soils, but spore density and relative abundance of AM fungi were generally low. Eucalypt roots from all plantation sites were poorly colonized by either ECM fungi or AM fungi. A bioassay with E. urophylla as a bait host, using soils collected from 11 eucalypt plantations, confirmed low levels of inoculum of both ECM and AM fungi in field soil. This is the first integrated study on the mycorrhizal status of eucalypt plantations in China. Findings from this research can be used to encourage adoption of mycorrhizal technology by eucalypt nurseries in the region. The potential of using spores of compatible ECM fungi or collections for forest nurseries is discussed.

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Acknowledgment

This study was supported by the Chinese Academy of Forestry, Murdoch University and the International Foundation for Science. Li Hua Kang, Zheng Mei Zhen, Ye Gen Jiang, and Hong Li of CAF assisted in the field investigations and sampling.

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  1. Ying Long Chen

    Present address: School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, 6150, Australia

    Ying Long Chen, Shuie Liu & Bernard Dell

  2. Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, 510520, China

    Shuie Liu

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  1. Ying Long Chen
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  2. Shuie Liu
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  3. Bernard Dell
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Correspondence to Ying Long Chen.

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Chen, Y.L., Liu, S. & Dell, B. Mycorrhizal status of Eucalyptus plantations in south China and implications for management. Mycorrhiza 17, 527–535 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-007-0125-6

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