Abstract
Pecan, Carya illinoinensis, is an economically important nut producing tree that can establish ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with a high diversity of fungi. In the southern USA, truffles (Tuber spp.) sometimes fruit prolifically in cultivated pecan orchards and regularly associate with pecan roots as ectomycorrhizae (ECMs). It has been demonstrated that some valuable European truffle species (e.g., Tuber borchii and Tuber aestivum) can form ECMs with pecan seedlings in nursery conditions. Thus, pecan may represent an attractive alternative host to forest trees for truffle growers given the potential for co-cropping truffles and pecans. To further explore the capacity of pecan to host truffle symbionts, pecan seedlings were inoculated with species of black truffles that are economically important in Europe, T. melanosporum and T. brumale. Ectomycorrhizae were characterized molecularly and their morphology was described in detail. Mycorrhization rates on pecan roots were assessed over a 2-year period. Tuber melanosporum and T. brumale produced well-formed ECMs with a level of root colonization in the first year of 37.3 and 34.5%, respectively. After 24 months, the level of mycorrhization increased for T. brumale (49.4%) and decreased for T. melanosporum (10.5%) inversely to that of non-target ECM greenhouse contaminants (e.g., Sphaerosporella brunnea, Trichophaea woolhopeia, Pulvinula constellatio). To assess whether mating types segregated in T. melanosporum as been reported for other host species, we amplified the mating-type locus from single T. melanosporum ECM belonging to different seedlings over a 2-year period. The two mating idiomorphs were nearly equally represented along the 2-year time span: MAT 1-1-1 decreased from 59.4% in the first year to 48.5% in the second year after inoculation. Data reported in this study add to knowledge on the mycorrhization of pecan trees with commercial truffles and has application to truffle and nut co-cropping systems.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowled Mattia Bencivenga and Vivaio Caterina for the help given in growing pecan inoculated seedlings, and Tim Brenneman for providing pecan seed. DD thanks DSA3 of the University of Perugia for research support. GMNB and GB thank the Michigan State University to support their reasearch. GM was supported by PhD a fellowship of University of Perugia.
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Giorgio Marozzi and Sergio Sánchez equally contributed to this research.
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ESM 1
Table S1. Morphological characteristics of ectomycorrhizae (ECMs) formed by Tuber brumale and T. melanosporum with Carya illinoinensis, Corylus avellana, Corylus colurna, Pinus pinea, Quercus pubescens, Quercus ilex and Ostrya carpinifolia. The minimum value, the mean value and the maximum value (mm) of the length and diameter in the sampled ECMs are reported. The data were obtained in the present study (highlighted in bold) and from previous studies, only available values are reported. T. melanosporum average ECMs diameter were statistically different between different plant hosts (ANOVA and pairwise post-hoc Tukey HSD at p ≤ 0.05). (DOCX 9 kb)
ESM 2
Table S2. Physical and chemical characteristics of the soil used for the potting mixes. Values are mean (n = 3) ± standard error. a Organic Matter, b Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen. (DOCX 8 kb)
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Marozzi, G., Sánchez, S., Benucci, G.M.N. et al. Mycorrhization of pecan (Carya illinoinensis) with black truffles: Tuber melanosporum and Tuber brumale . Mycorrhiza 27, 303–309 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-016-0743-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-016-0743-y