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Infection with foliar pathogenic fungi does not alter the receptivity of Norway spruce seedlings to ectomycorrhizal fungi

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Abstract

Aims

We studied whether the induction of defence against foliar pathogens affects the interaction of Norway spruce (Picea abies) with ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) and whether the response differs between seedlings originating from families showing variable growth performance in long-term trials.

Methods

The shoots were inoculated with Botrytis cinerea and Gibberella avenacea. The roots were simultaneously inoculated with sieved humus to provide the EMF inoculum. The severity of the pathogenic infection was based on the amount of damage and induced production of condensed tannins in the needles.

Results

EMF richness and colonisation were not affected by the pathogens and were also identical between the fast- and slow-growing seedlings. The fast-growing seedlings were more vulnerable to the pathogens; however, the constitutive level of condensed tannins in the needles did not correlate with their susceptibility to either the pathogenic or symbiotic fungi. G. avenacea induced a marginally greater production of condensed tannins in the slow-growing seedlings, which was linked to a slight reduction in EMF richness and less needle damage after wintering.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that there are differences in resource allocation strategies between the fast- and slow-growing spruce families, which may indicate the presence of underlying host effects that regulate interactions with associated fungi.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Academy of Finland (project 128229) and Otto A. Malm foundation. We are grateful to the staff of the Suonenjoki nursery, M-L Napola, M-L Jalkanen, R Kattainen, M Oksanen, A Rautiainen, H Ruhanen, S Ullah, and R Vesala.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Finnish Forest Research Institute – Metla, PO Box 18, 01301, Vantaa, Finland

    S. M. Velmala, T. Rajala, A. Smolander, A. Lilja & T. Pennanen

  2. Finnish Forest Research Institute – Metla, Suonenjoki, Finland

    R.-L. Petäistö

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  1. S. M. Velmala
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  2. T. Rajala
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  3. A. Smolander
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  4. R.-L. Petäistö
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  5. A. Lilja
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  6. T. Pennanen
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Correspondence to S. M. Velmala.

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Velmala, S.M., Rajala, T., Smolander, A. et al. Infection with foliar pathogenic fungi does not alter the receptivity of Norway spruce seedlings to ectomycorrhizal fungi. Plant Soil 385, 329–342 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-014-2238-y

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