Abstract
AimsEctomycorrhizal fungi can improve poplar growth and tolerance to heavy metal stress, and may be useful during the afforestation and phytoremediation of polluted regions with poplar trees. In this study, we determined the effects of the symbiotic interaction between Populus × canescens trees and Paxillus involutus strains different in their tolerance to lead.MethodsIn vitro inoculated and non-inoculated plants were treated with 0.75 mM Pb(NO3)2. The root colonization rate of the two fungal strains, as well as their impacts on poplar health and lead accumulation were examined.ResultsBased on the colonization level, the roots were classified into one of three categories: non-mycorrhized, changed (ie, fungal cells were present on the root surface, but the Hartig net did not fully develop), and fully mycorrhized. The lead-tolerant P. involutus strain colonized roots better than the non-tolerant strain (ie, changed and fully mycorrhized roots). Moreover, plants inoculated with the tolerant fungal strain grew better than the control plants (217 % increase in dry weight over the controls), and accumulated lead in the roots and stems.ConclusionsInoculation of P. × canescens trees with a Pb-tolerant strain of P. involutus improves host plant growth and may increase Pb phytostabilization potential.
Highlights
Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are obligatory symbionts of vascular plants, including poplar trees (Smith and Read 2008)
Populus spp., aspens, are early-successional trees (Krpata et al 2008; Szuba 2015). Because of their potential ability to grow in harsh conditions, poplar trees with mycorrhizal associations may be useful for the phytoremediation of regions polluted with heavy metals, lead (Bhargava et al 2012; Ali et al 2013)
This division was based on the morphological features of the root tips (Fig. 2), and was confirmed by their anatomical structures (Fig. 3; example of root tips inoculated with the tolerant fungal strain growing under control conditions)
Summary
Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are obligatory symbionts of vascular plants, including poplar trees (Smith and Read 2008). These fungi belong to various taxonomic groups, with the majority in the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota (Krpata et al.2008). In most cases, ECM fungi significantly increase the plant host biomass (Danielsen et al 2013; Ma et al 2014) This has economic implications for poplar trees, which serve as valuable sources of biomass (Szuba 2015). Because of their potential ability to grow in harsh conditions, poplar trees with mycorrhizal associations may be useful for the phytoremediation of regions polluted with heavy metals, lead (Bhargava et al 2012; Ali et al 2013)
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