Inoculum from ectomycorrhizal fungi forming endomycorrhizal infection with herbaceous plants
OwnerCarol A. Janeretteinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Fungal inoculants for plants producing ectomycorrhizae with woody plants or endomycorrhizae with leafy plants are formed in perlite from microsclerotia-producing fungi such as Cenococcum geophilium.
Claims16
A method of growing plants having mycorrhizae associated with their roots comprising the steps of:
- obtaining mycelia of an ectomycorrhizal, microsclerotia-producing fungus,
- contacting propagule of said mycelia with a growth medium containing a particulate carrier and a nutrient solution including sources of nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, ammonia, zinc, sulfur, iron, sugar and thiamine,
- maintaining said contact in the absence of living plant matter in darkness and without aeration for a period of time effective to stress the mycelia, inducing it to produce at least microsclerotia or its initials,
- obtaining an ectomycorrhizal inoculum from said mycelia which is capable of producing intracellular hyphae when contacted with herbaceous plants,
- germinating a seed to produce a seedling,
- infecting said seedling with said inoculum and contacting said seedling with a second nutrient solution, and
- obtaining plants having a symbiotic association with said fungi.
A process of producing a mycorrhizal inoculant of a normally ectomycorrhizal fungi for use with either woody or herbaceous plants, comprising the steps of:
- obtaining mycelia of an ectomycorrhizal fungus,
- contacting a propagule of said mycelia with a growth medium containing a particulate carrier and a nutrient solution including sources of carbon, nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, zinc, sulfur and iron, and
- maintaining said contact in the absence of living plant matter in darkness and without aeration for a period of time effective to stress the mycelia, inducing it to produce at least microsclerotia or its initials among said mycelia, and
- obtaining an ectomycorrhizal inoculum containing at least microsclerotia or the initials of microsclerotia, which inoculum is capable of producing intracellular hyphae when contacted with herbaceous plants and;
- is effective to form mycorrhizal symbiotic associations with the roots of woody plants.
A process of producing a mycorrhizal inoculant of a normally ectomycorrhizal fungi for use with either woody or herbaceous plants, comprising the steps of:
- obtaining mycelia of an ectomycorrhizal fungus,
- contacting a propagule of said mycelia with a Fowells and Krauss's nutrient solution modified by the addition of glucose and thiamine and a particulate carrier, and
- maintaining said contact in the absence of living plant matter in darkness and without aeration for a period of time effective to stress the mycelia, inducing it to produce at least microsclerotia or its initials among said mycelia, and
- obtaining an ectomycorrhizal inoculum containing at least microsclerotia or the initials of microsclerotia, which inoculum is capable of producing intracellular hyphae when contacted with herbaceous plants.
A mycorrhizal inoculant for either woody or herbaceous plants produced from mycelia of at least one isolated and cultivated ectomycorrhizal fungi in the absence of living plant matter, said inoculant consisting essentially of said fungi and including at least microsclerotia or the initials of microsclerotia of said fungi, said inoculant being capable of producing intracellular hyphae when contacted with herbaceous plants which are effective to form endomycorrhizal symbiotic associations with herbaceous plants and producing mycorrhizal symbiotic associations with woody plants.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.