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Effect of competitive interactions between ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi on Castanea sativa performance

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Abstract

In Northeast of Portugal, the macrofungal community associated to chestnut tree (Castanea sativa Mill.) is rich and diversified. Among fungal species, the ectomycorrhizal Pisolithus tinctorius and the saprotroph Hypholoma fasciculare are common in this habitat. The aim of the present work was to assess the effect of the interaction between both fungi on growth, nutritional status, and physiology of C. sativa seedlings. In pot experiments, C. sativa seedlings were inoculated with P. tinctorius and H. fasciculare individually or in combination. Inoculation with P. tinctorius stimulated the plant growth and resulted in increased foliar-N, foliar-P, and photosynthetic pigment contents. These effects were suppressed when H. fasciculare was simultaneously applied with P. tinctorius. This result could be related to the inhibition of ectomycorrhizal fungus root colonization as a result of antagonism or to the competition for nutrient sources. If chestnut seedlings have been previously inoculated with P. tinctorius, the subsequent inoculation of H. fasciculare 30 days later did not affect root colonization, and mycorrhization benefits were observed. This work confirms an antagonistic interaction between ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi with consequences on the ectomycorrhizal host physiology. Although P. tinctorius is effective in promoting growth of host trees by establishing mycorrhizae, in the presence of other fungi, it may not always be able to interact with host roots due to an inability to compete with certain fungi.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) for financial support (project PTDC/AGR-AAM/099556/2008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIMO/School of Agriculture, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, Apartado 1172, 5301-854, Bragança, Portugal

    Eric Pereira, Valentim Coelho & Paula Baptista

  2. Centre for Biodiversity Functional and Integrative Genomics (BioFIG), Plant Functional Biology Centre, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Rui Manuel Tavares & Teresa Lino-Neto

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  1. Eric Pereira
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  2. Valentim Coelho
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  4. Teresa Lino-Neto
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  5. Paula Baptista
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Correspondence to Paula Baptista.

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Pereira, E., Coelho, V., Tavares, R.M. et al. Effect of competitive interactions between ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi on Castanea sativa performance. Mycorrhiza 22, 41–49 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-011-0379-x

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