New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts

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Effect of Sphaerosporella brunnea mycorrhizas on mycorrhization of Quercusilex × Tuber melanosporum

L. G. García-Montero

Department of Forestry, U.D. Basic Operations
Technical University of Madrid (UPM)
ETSI Montes
Ciudad Universitaria s/n
Madrid 28040, Spain
email: luisgonzaga.garcia@upm.es

G. Di Massimo

Department of Biologia Vegetale Biotecnologie Agroambientali
University of Perugia
Borgo XX Giugno 74
Perugia 06121, Italy

J. L. Manjón

Department of Plant Biology
University of Alcalá
Ctra. Barcelona Km 33
Alcalá de Henares 28870, Spain

J. García-Cañete

Department of Environmental and Chemical Technology
Rey Juan Carlos University
C/ Tulipán s/n
Móstoles 28933, Madrid, Spain

Abstract It is generally accepted that Sphaerosporella brunnea is a significant ectomycorrhizal contaminant in nurseries producing plants mycorrhized with various species of Tuber, and subsequently in truffières after outplanting. At the University of Alcalá, Spain, 397 small plants of Quercus ilex which were mycorrhized with Tuber melanosporum were inadvertently contaminated with S. brunnea, and this contamination was then monitored for 2 years. Sixty percent of the plants were contaminated and had S. brunnea ascomata on the surface of the container on one or several occasions. However, a Spearman test provided no evidence that S. brunnea mycorrhizas affected T. melanosporum mycorrhization whereas other contaminating ectomycorrhizal fungi significantly did. Therefore, it appears that S. brunnea is not detrimental to plants which are well mycorrhized with T. melanosporum.

Keywords black truffle; mycorrhized contamination; Mediterranean mushroom; mycorrhizal fungi; Tuber melanosporum

New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2008, Vol. 36: 153–158
0014–0671/08/3603–0153 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2008
H07086; Online publication date 15 July 2008
Received 6 August 2007; accepted 22 May 2008

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