The use of granulated ectomycorrhizal inoculum for reforestation of deteriorated regions

Abstract

A modified method has been developed for laboratory preparation of granulated mycorrhizal inoculum. Mycelia of ectomycorrhizal fungi are immobilized in alginate gel in a mixture with a silicate carrier-perlite. This inoculum is applied at sowing in forest nurseries to obtain resistant plants for afforestation of areas exposed to man-made stresses. Under both sterile and nonsterile conditions, the growth of seedlings and mycorrhiza development were increased by inoculation with a strain Laccaria laccata. This strain may be a good perspective symbiont for Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris, particularly when high levels of inoculum are used.