title: Successful inoculation of mature pine with Tricholoma matsutake.
abstract: Our finding demonstrates, for the first time, that the roots of mature pine trees can be successfully inoculated with a symbiotic ectomycorrhizal fungus, the valuable matsutake mushroom. Long root segments (ca. 5-10 mm in diameter, ca. 50 cm in length) of 50-year-old Pinus densiflora trees were excavated, washed, auxin-treated (2-5 mg indole butyric acid, IBA, per root) and incubated in moist Spagnum moss. Twelve months later, short roots were regenerated, of which approximately 90% were free of mycorrhizae. Mycorrhiza-free short roots were inoculated with mycelial pieces of Tricholoma matsutake and incubated further in a sterilized substrate. Four-and-a-half months later, roots putatively colonized by Matsutake were sampled near the inoculation points. A T. matsutake-specific ITS-rDNA fragment was amplified by nested PCR from approximately 80% of the root samples analyzed, whereas approximately 66% of the root samples processed for staining with Chlorazol black E displayed characteristic T. matsutake Hartig net structures. These results confirm the symbiotic infection of mature P. densiflora roots by matsutake.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forest Botany, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guerin-Laguette
authors.forename: Norihisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lapeyrie
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shindo
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000363:Agaricales / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D017753:Ecosystem; D025301:Hyphae / Q000254:growth & development; D007564:Japan; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000502:physiology*; D028223:Pinus / Q000382:microbiology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer