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Fertilizer levels and fungal strain influence the development of ectomycorrhizae on Sitka spruce seedlings

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Abstract

Effects of low, medium, and high applications of solid, controlled-release fertilizers on ectomycorrhizal formation of containerized Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) seedlings with a nursery or forest isolate of either Thelephora terrestris (Ehrh.) Fr., Laccaria laccata (Scop. ex Fr.) Cooke, or the “E-strain” fungus was evaluated 14 weeks after inoculation. The influence of fungal species and isolate source on seedling growth and nutrient status was also evaluated through an analysis of variance. Seedlings receiving the low level of fertilization were significantly smaller than those receiving the medium or high level. Fungal species and isolate source did not affect seedling size and was significant only for the percentage of short roots colonized which tended to be highest in the low fertilizer treatment. Analyses of foliage revealed that concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus did not differ significantly by fertilizer level or fungal type whereas potassium was significantly higher at the low level of fertilization and magnesium was significantly lower at the low level of fertilization.

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Author notes

  1. C. G. Shaw III

    Present address: Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, 240 West Prospect, 80526, Fort Collins, CO

  2. G. W. Thomas

    Present address: Department of Applied Biology, The University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, Cardiff, Wales

Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forestry Science Laboratory, Juneau, Alaska, USA

    C. G. Shaw III & G. W. Thomas

  2. Department of Microbiology, University of Surrey, Guilford, UK

    R. M. Jackson

Authors
  1. C. G. Shaw III
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  2. R. M. Jackson
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  3. G. W. Thomas
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Shaw, C.G., Jackson, R.M. & Thomas, G.W. Fertilizer levels and fungal strain influence the development of ectomycorrhizae on Sitka spruce seedlings. New Forest 1, 215–223 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00118759

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00118759

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