Mycorrhizal synthesis of four ectomycorrhizal fungi in potted Populus maximowiczii seedlings

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) syntheses between four ECM fungi, Laccaria amethystina, Hebeloma mesophaeum, Thelephora terrestris, and Tomentella sp., and Populus maximowiczii seedlings that are known to form ECM at a denuded area of Mt. Usu were performed in volcanic debris in a controlled growth chamber. The percentage of ECM colonization and seedling growth were determined 3 months after inoculation. Seedlings were successfully colonized by the inoculated ECM fungi with low contamination ratios. Seedling height and biomass were larger in the inoculated seedlings than in the control, although the effects of inoculation on seedling growth varied with the ECM fungus.