Abstract
Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal community of the European chestnut has been poorly investigated, and mostly by sporocarp sampling. We proposed the study of the ECM fungal community of 2-year-old chestnut hybrids Castanea × coudercii (Castanea sativa × Castanea crenata) using molecular approaches. By using the chestnut hybrid clones 111 and 125, we assessed the impact of grafting on ECM colonization rate, species diversity, and fungal community composition. The clone type did not have an impact on the studied variables; however, grafting significantly influenced ECM colonization rate in clone 111. Species diversity and richness did not vary between the experimental groups. Grafted and ungrafted plants of clone 111 had a different ECM fungal species composition. Sequence data from ITS regions of rDNA revealed the presence of 9 orders, 15 families, 19 genera, and 27 species of ECM fungi, most of them generalist, early-stage species. Thirteen new taxa were described in association with chestnuts. The basidiomycetes Agaricales (13 taxa) and Boletales (11 taxa) represented 36% and 31%, of the total sampled ECM fungal taxa, respectively. Scleroderma citrinum, S. areolatum, and S. polyrhizum (Boletales) were found in 86% of the trees and represented 39% of total ECM root tips. The ascomycete Cenococcum geophilum (Mytilinidiales) was found in 80% of the trees but accounted only for 6% of the colonized root tips. These results could help to unveil the impact of grafting on fungal symbionts, improving management of chestnut agro-ecosystems and production of edible fungal species.
Highlights
The chestnuts are deciduous trees and shrubs belonging to the genus Castanea Mill. (Fagaceae), a small taxon which includes 13 species
We hypothesized that grafted plants should experience a higher ECM colonization rate, but this effect was found only in the chestnut clone 111 grafted with the Bouche de Bétizac cultivar, mostly determined by Scleroderma areolatum (Boletales), Inocybe curvipes (Agaricales), Tomentella sp. (Thelephorales), and Cenococcum geophilum (Mytilinidiales)
Importance value indicates a dominance of S. areolatum, C. geophilum, and Tomentella sp. for this experimental group
Summary
The chestnuts are deciduous trees and shrubs belonging to the genus Castanea Mill. (Fagaceae), a small taxon which includes 13 species. Native from temperate countries of the Northern Hemisphere, the chestnut is widely distributed in southern Europe, eastern North America, northern Africa, Asia Minor, and eastern Asia (Conedera et al 2016). Four species are mainly used for commercial production (Hardin et al 2001): C. sativa Mill. C. sativa, the only native species of the European continent, covering more than 2.5 million hectares, is mainly distributed among France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Switzerland (Conedera et al 2016; Roces-Díaz et al 2018). Chestnut forest stands and orchards are part of the traditional and historical landscape and are amongst the conservation priorities in Europe (European Council 1992). Chestnut orchards have a notable multipurpose character, producing timber, firewood, forage, and tasty edible fruits and secondary products such as pasture, hay, mushrooms, and honey (Pereira-Lorenzo et al 2010)
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