Working with Mycorrhizas in Forestry and Agriculture

Crop Production/Industries,

Ectomyeorrhiza formation in Eucalyptus. V. A tuberculate ectomycorrhiza of Eucalyptus pilularis

The structure of mature tubercles collected from a Eucalyptus pilularis forest in Queensland, Australia, is described. The smooth, pale yellow tubercles (5‐20 mm diam.) consisted of a rind (200‐250 μm thick) enclosing a dense coralloid mass of ectornycorrhizas (150‐300 μm diam.) and rhizomorphs (200‐300 μm diam.). The outer rind region was cemented together with an interhyphal matrix of carbohydrate containing embedded lipid deposits. Dolipores were common in the inner rind indicating the fungal component to be a basidiomycete. Mycorrhizas had thin mantles and well‐formed Hartig nets. Protein and lipid reserves were present in mantle hyphae. Rhizomorphs formed around non‐mycorrhizal roots inside the tubercles. The central zone of rhizomorph tissue contained thick‐walled hyphae which stained positively for lignin‐like material. The tubercles are similar to structures formed in associations between Rhizopogon and conifers in the northern hemisphere

Ectomycorrhiza formation in Eucalyptus.. IV. Ectomycorrhizas in the sporocarps of the hypogeous fungi Mesophellia and Castorium in Eucalypt forests of Western Australia

Mesophellia and Castorium are common hypogeous macrofungi in the karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor F. Muell.) and jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Sm.) forests of south‐western Australia. Sporocarps of Mesophellia and Castorium develop 5‐20 cm below the soil surface in close association with eucalypt roots. During differentiation of the sporocarps, eucalypt roots become trapped within the peridium where they branch profusely and form a dense ectomycorrhizal layer. Mature sporocarps of M. trabalis nom. ined. contain approximately S m of roots of 45 cm2 surface area. Anatomical studies have shown that these roots have Hartig nets penetrating to the hypodermis and are similar to the superficial eucalypt ectomycorrhizas formed in soil and litter. The association of Mesophellia and Castorium sporocarps with tree roots suggests that these are important mycorrhizal fungi in forests of southern Australia

Nutrient disorders in plantation eucalypts

Summary. The purpose of this manual is to illustrate the symptoms associated with essential nutrient deficiencies of those species of eucalypts which are now widely established in plantations. The manual focuses on three tropical/subtropical species (Eucalyptus grandis, E. pellita and E. urophylla) and one temperate species (E. globulus). Other plantation species are included where illustrations were available. Techniques for identifying nutritional disorders are explained and deficiency symptoms are described in detail for twelve elements. These symptoms can be used to help determine deficiencies in nurseries or young plantations. However, symptoms are a guide to nutrient deficiencies and should be used with other diagnostic tools. For this reason leaf analysis standards are included

Molecular Dynamics Visualization (MDV): Stereoscopic 3D Display of Biomolecular Structure and Interactions Using the Unity Game Engine

Molecular graphics systems are visualization tools which, upon integration into a 3D immersive environment, provide a unique virtual reality experience for research and teaching of biomolecular structure, function and interactions. We have developed a molecular structure and dynamics application, the Molecular Dynamics Visualization tool, that uses the Unity game engine combined with large scale, multi-user, stereoscopic visualization systems to deliver an immersive display experience, particularly with a large cylindrical projection display. The application is structured to separate the biomolecular modeling and visualization systems. The biomolecular model loading and analysis system was developed as a stand-alone C# library and provides the foundation for the custom visualization system built in Unity. All visual models displayed within the tool are generated using Unity-based procedural mesh building routines. A 3D user interface was built to allow seamless dynamic interaction with the model while being viewed in 3D space. Biomolecular structure analysis and display capabilities are exemplified with a range of complex systems involving cell membranes, protein folding and lipid droplets

Ectomycorrhizal formation by micropropagated clones of Eucalyptus marginata inoculated with isolates of Pisolithus tinctorius

Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Sm. and Pisolithus tinctorius (Pers.) Cok and Couch were co-cultured to obtain ectomycorrhizal formation in vitro. One isolate of P. tinctorius formed mycorrhizas with aseptic seedlings of a juvenile clone derived from a 4-month-old seedling, and four clones derived from crowns of mature trees. A second P. tinctorius isolate formed mycorrhizas with only the clones from mature trees. Successful combinations resulted in formation of a mantle followed by a Hartig net and epidermal cell elongation. The fungal/seedlings or fungal/seedling clone combinations which did not produce ectomycorrhizal roots, were characterized by a mantle but lacked a Hartig net, and formed an abundance of polyphenols throughout the root. Genotype, maturity and fungal specificity are key factors influencing successful ectomycorrhizal formation on E. marginata by P. tinctorius in vitro

Field performance of Eucalyptus urophylla inoculated with an introduced and idigenous strains of Pisolithus at three sites in the Philippines

The effectiveness of an isolate of Pisolithus from Australia was compared with a Philippine Pisolithus isolate in promoting the growth of Eucalyptus urophylla on three acid (pH 4.1-5.9, 0.005M CaCl2) sites in the Philippines (Pangasinan, Bukidnon and Surigao). Isolates of Pisolithus were taken from basidiocarps collected under eucalypts growing in Western Australia and from the Philippines. Generally, the introduced Pisolithus promoted greater wood volume of E. urophylla planted in dry marginal land (Pangasinan) and in moist logged-over area (Surigao) in the Philippines than the Philippine Pisolithus isolate. Root colonization by the two fungi did not vary but there was a difference in the root colonization levels between sites implying that the prevailing microclimatic conditions on each site had affected the performance of the ECM inoculants. In this study, the number of isolates tested was limited, thus, future field trials should include a wider range of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Further work is required to determine whether the growth responses measured at the two sites (Pangasinan and Surigao) are maintained until the trees are harvested

Establishment of endomycorrhizal fungi on micropropagated teak (Tectona grandis L.f.)

No abstract available

Australasian sequestrate fungi 18: Solioccasus polychromus gen. & sp. nov., a richly colored, tropical to subtropical, hypogeous fungus

Solioccasus polychromus gen. & sp. nov., the most brightly colored hypogeous fungus known, is described from Papua New Guinea and tropical northern Australia south into subtropical forests along the Queensland coast and coastal mountains to near Brisbane. Phylogenetic analysis of molecular data places it as a sister genus to Bothia in the Boletineae, a clade of predominantly ectomycorrhizal boletes. Ectomycorrhizal trees, such as members of the Myrtaceae (Eucalyptus, Corymbia, Lophostemon, Melaleuca spp.) and Allocasuarina littoralis, were present usually in mixture or in some cases dominant, so we infer some or all of them to be among the ectomycorrhizal hosts of S. polychromus.Cover image—Solioccasus polychromus, an Australasian, tropical to subtropical, hypogeous member of the Boletineae. Upper image by Roy Halling, immature specimens, lower image by Michael Castellano, mature specimens. See article by Trappe et al. in this issue.Keywords: ITS, Boletineae, ectomycorrhizae, rhizomorphs, Bothia, Boletales, Basidiomycota, LSU, tef1, DNA, EF1-α