scholarly journals The soil fungal communities in nurseries producing Abies alba

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolanta Behnke-Borowczyk ◽  
Wojciech Kowalkowski ◽  
Natalia Kartawik ◽  
Mariena Baranowska ◽  
Wladyslaw Barzdajn

Silver fir is an important forest-forming species in the mountain and upland parts of Poland. It was determined that fir lost the possibility of spontaneous return to the forests of the region. That is why the Polish State Forests has launched a programme to restore its resources in the Sudetes. Until now, fungi and their relationship with fir have not been fully addressed in the Sudetes Restitution Programme, therefore this study was undertaken. The aim of this study was to determine the species composition of soil fungi from quarters producing silver fir seedlings. The research material was rhizosphere soil collected from 3-year-old saplings produced in forest nurseries of the Międzylesie Forest District. Fungal composition was determined by Next-Generation sequencing (Illumina NextSeq 500). The total number of OTUs obtained (638 435) included sequences of cultivated horcultured fungi (433 412 OTUs = 52.7%), non-cultivable fungi, that is which cannot be cultured (97 108 OTUs = 22.41 %) and potential fungi with no reference sequence in UNITE (73 419 OTUs = 16.93%) and non-fungal organisms (34 496 = 7.96%). The following taxa as Mortierella sp. (8.23%). Tylospora sp. (6.68%) and Russula sp. (3.76%) had the largest share in the soil fungal communities. The results of the study indicate the dominance of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi in the communities of fir roots, which proves that saplings are of good quality. Small share of pathogens sequences suggests that soil-born fungal pathogens are not a major threat to fir seedlings in nurseries. Key words: mycorrhizal fungi, nursery, Abies alba, seedlings, Międzylesie Forest District.

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Brygida Kujawska ◽  
Małgorzata Stasińska ◽  
Tomasz Leski ◽  
Maria Rudawska

<em>Hericium flagellum</em> (Scop.) Pers. is considered a rare, wood-decaying fungus that occurs on coniferous trees, predominantly on silver fir (<em>Abies alba</em>). In this paper, a new locality of <em>H. flagellum</em> in Wielkopolska Voivodship is presented, along with the macro- and micromorphological features of the collected specimens. Basidiomata of <em>H. flagellum</em> were found in November 2016 and 2017 in the “Olbina” nature reserve (ATPOL Dc-97, Kalisz Forest District), located in a continental mixed coniferous forest close to the northern border of the natural range of silver fir. In 2016, <em>H. flagellum</em> was found growing in the hollow of an old stump of silver fir, and in the following year, this fungus was recorded on a fallen log of silver fir. The implications for conservation are briefly presented. Prospects of further development of the basidiomata of <em>H. flagellum</em> in the “Olbina” reserve are also discussed.


10.46490/527 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleh Marozau

In 1996 and 1998, Professor A. Korczyk created a half-sib plantation of the European silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) in the Polish part of Białowieża Forest (Hajnówka Forest District, sub-district Wilczy Jar, subcompartments 416Ag and 416Сf). The planting was carried out in furrows at a spacing of 1.3 x 1m in three plots of 0.22 ha each in an area of fresh forest. To grow the seedlings, seeds from the “Tisovik” tract (in the Belarusian part of Białowieża Forest) were used. According to some researchers, the Abies alba in this tract has a natural origin and is a relic of Białowieża Forest. Given this circumstance, and also in connection with the mass drying-out of the Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), there is a practical interest in studying the growth of fir crops in this territory. The results of our studies (2018) indicated the very intensive growth of this species in 22-year-old cultures (subcompartment 416Ag, plot 1, 10 half-sib families). The trees showed no signs of disease or insect damage, the crowns were conical in shape and the shoots were densely covered with needles. The good state of the forest planting can be considered as evidence of soil hydrological conditions suitable for growth and meeting the A. alba’s ecological and biological needs, as well as confirmation of its autochthonous nature.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Diana Marčiulynienė ◽  
Adas Marčiulynas ◽  
Jūratė Lynikienė ◽  
Miglė Vaičiukynė ◽  
Artūras Gedminas ◽  
...  

The production of tree seedlings in forest nurseries and their use in the replanting of clear-cut forest sites is a common practice in the temperate and boreal forests of Europe. Although conifers dominate on replanted sites, in recent years, deciduous tree species have received more attention due to their often-higher resilience to abiotic and biotic stress factors. The aim of the present study was to assess the belowground fungal communities of bare-root cultivated seedlings of Alnus glutinosa, Betula pendula, Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Quercus robur in order to gain a better understanding of the associated fungi and oomycetes, and their potential effects on the seedling performance in forest nurseries and after outplanting. The study sites were at the seven largest bare-root forest nurseries in Lithuania. The sampling included the roots and adjacent soil of 2–3 year old healthy-looking seedlings. Following the isolation of the DNA from the individual root and soil samples, these were amplified using ITS rRNA as a marker, and subjected to high-throughput PacBio sequencing. The results showed the presence of 161,302 high-quality sequences, representing 2003 fungal and oomycete taxa. The most common fungi were Malassezia restricta (6.7% of all of the high-quality sequences), Wilcoxina mikolae (5.0%), Pustularia sp. 3993_4 (4.6%), and Fusarium oxysporum (3.5%). The most common oomycetes were Pythium ultimum var. ultimum (0.6%), Pythium heterothallicum (0.3%), Pythium spiculum (0.3%), and Pythium sylvaticum (0.2%). The coniferous tree species (P. abies and P. sylvestris) generally showed a higher richness of fungal taxa and a rather distinct fungal community composition compared to the deciduous tree species (A. glutinosa, B. pendula, and Q. robur). The results demonstrated that the seedling roots and the rhizosphere soil in forest nurseries support a high richness of fungal taxa. The seedling roots were primarily inhabited by saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi, while fungal pathogens and oomycetes were less abundant, showing that the cultivation practices used in forest nurseries secured both the production of high-quality planting stock and disease control.


2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-166
Author(s):  
Aleh Marozau ◽  
Miłosz Mielcarek ◽  
Grzegorz Krok ◽  
Rafał Paluch ◽  
Krzysztof Chiliński

Abstract The condition of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) in the Białowieża Forest is categorized as a crisis. It is believed that due to the cooling in the Holocene, the then-relict species of the forest, silver fir (Abies alba Mill.), disappeared from its ecosystems and then spruce appeared. Today’s climate change presents challenges to our civilization, including to forestry. However, there is no information at all about how this affected the silver fir in the Białowieża Forest. In the Polish part of the forest (subcompartment 498 Сi, Białowieża Forest District), for the first time a comprehensive study has been carried out on the condition of mature fir trees planted by man and on their progeny. The results indicate high forestry-taxation indicators of trees, resistance to the abiotic factor and competitiveness. Their constitution corresponds to local environmental conditions. However, the disproportionately small number of adult natural regeneration of old firs indicated some kind of malfunction in the mechanism of natural generational change.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katalin Csillery ◽  
Nina Buchmann ◽  
Oliver Brendel ◽  
Arthur Gessler ◽  
Alexandra Glauser ◽  
...  

Silver fir (Abies alba) has a high potential for mitigating climate change in European mountain forests, yet, its natural regeneration is severely limited by ungulate browsing. Here, we simulated browsing in a common garden experiment to study growth and physiological traits, measured from bulk needles, using a randomized block design with two levels of browsing severity and seedlings originating from 19 populations across Switzerland. Genetic factors explained most variation in growth (on average, 51.5%) and physiological traits (10.2%) under control conditions, while heavy browsing considerably reduced the genetic effects on growth (to 30%), but doubled those on physiological traits related to C storage. While browsing reduced seedling height, it also lowered seedlings' water use efficiency (decreased δ13C) and N supply by mycorrhizal fungi as indicated by an increase in δ15N. Different populations reacted differently to browsing stress, and for Height, Starch and δ15N, population differences appeared to be the result of natural selection. We found that the fastest growing populations, originating from the warmest regions, decreased their needle starch level the most as a reaction to heavy browsing, suggesting a potential genetic underpinning for a growth-storage trade-off. Further, we found that seedlings originating from mountain populations growing on steep slopes had a significantly lower N discrimination in the common garden than those originating from flat areas, indicating that they have been selected to grow on N poor, potentially drained, soils. This finding was corroborated by the fact that N concentration in adult needles was lower on steep slopes than on flat ground, strongly indicating that steep slopes are the most N poor environments. Seedlings from these poor environments generally had a low growth rate and high storage, thus might be slower to recover from browsing stress than fast growing provenances from the warm environments with developed soils, such as the Swiss plateau.


2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Isabel Mujica ◽  
María Fernanda Pérez ◽  
Marcin Jakalski ◽  
Florent Martos ◽  
Marc André Selosse

ABSTRACT Little is known about the soil factors influencing root-associated fungal communities in Orchidaceae. Limited evidence suggests that soil nutrients may modulate the association with orchid mycorrhizal fungi (OMF), but their influence on non-mycorrhizal fungi remains unexplored. To study how nutrient availability affects mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal fungi associated with the orchid Bipinnula fimbriata, we conducted a metagenomic investigation within a large population with variable soil conditions. Additionally, we tested the effect of phosphorus (P) addition on fungal communities and mycorrhizal colonization. Soil P negatively correlated with the abundance of OMF, but not with the abundance of non-mycorrhizal fungi. After fertilization, increments in soil P negatively affected mycorrhizal colonization; however, they had no effect on OMF richness or composition. The abundance and richness of pathotrophs were negatively related to mycorrhizal colonization and then, after fertilization, the decrease in mycorrhizal colonization correlated with an increase in pathogen richness. Our results suggest that OMF are affected by soil conditions differently from non-mycorrhizal fungi. Bipinnula fimbriata responds to fertilization by altering mycorrhizal colonization rather than by switching OMF partners in the short term, and the influence of nutrients on OMF is coupled with indirect effects on the whole fungal community and potentially on plant's health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-56
Author(s):  
Wojciech Pusz ◽  
Anna Baturo-Ciesniewska ◽  
Agata Kaczmarek-Pienczewska ◽  
Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica ◽  
Katarzyna Patejuk

The European silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) has the largest distribution area of all the European species of fir. It is the only species of this type found in the Carpathian Mts., including their highest range - the Tatras, where it constitutes one of the main components of lower montane forests. In certain sections of the Carpathian Mountains fir stands are affected by the competitive pressure of beech. This may be due to climate change, as well as biotic factors such as plant diseases. One such disease is Herpotrichia needle browning. The goal of the present research was to assess the occurrence of Herpotrichia needle browning in the Tatra National Park and determine the species composition of fungi colonizing symptomatic needles and shoots. Symptoms of the disease were observed across the entire research period, i.e., from May to mid-September 2019. They included the wilting of the needles with subsequent mycelial growth on the remains, as well as shoot deformation. The mycological analysis of the needles and shoots of A. alba resulted in the isolation of 22 fungal taxa. In the case of the needles and shoots, which showed symptoms of infection, the most frequent species of fungus was Sydowia polyspora (Bref. & Tavel) E. Müll., followed by Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissl. and Rhizosphaera macrospora Gourb. & M. Morelet. Herpotrichia needle browning seems to be triggered by a complex disease resulting from synergistic interaction of several fungal pathogens


2017 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Aniszewska ◽  
Arkadiusz Gendek ◽  
Joanna Śliwińska

Abstract This study was conducted on a batch of closed silver fir cones from Jawor Forest District and a mixture of scales from the seed extraction facility Grotniki. The scales were divided into three size classes corresponding to the bottom, middle and upper part of the cones and their area was measured with the Multi Scan Base v.18.03 software. Based on the sum of the inner and outer surface area of all scales, we then determined the total area of evaporation from the cones. In addition, the area of protruding scales was measured for differently sized scales from different parts of the cones. Previous studies have shown that the average outer surface of a closed cone, calculated as the sum of protruding scales, accounts for 10% of the outer surface of an open cone. Pictures of both scale surfaces with the internal seed bed and the external protrusions were taken using a scanning electron microscope. We noticed significant differences in dimension and shape of the channels and trichomes on the scale surface. On the inner side of the scales, we found a high diversity of trichomes of different lengths, whilst the outer side contained channels. Presumably, these characteristics affect the rate of water loss from the cones during desiccation and separation of the seed. In-depth knowledge on the evaporative surfaces of fir cones and scale structure will be helpful for optimizing the industrial processes of seed extraction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-145
Author(s):  
Monika Tomczyk-Kida ◽  
Grzegorz B. Durło ◽  
Sławomir Wilczyński

Abstract The aim of the study was to evaluate the sensitivity of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) from the Rudnik Forest District on the selected meteorological elements and to develop a chronology of local tree-ring width and the annual sensitivity. Based on the analysis, the site chronology of silver fir was developed and the strength of the relationship between the climate components and the width of annual rings was calculated. In addition, we examined the degree of homogeneity of short-term incremental response, rated the representativeness of the chronology and climate signal strength. Having analysed the indicator years, namely 1932–2013, we concluded that the growth of firs was positively influenced mainly by air temperature in winter, and to a lesser extent, by precipitation in spring and summer. The main factors that limit its growth are cold winters, cool and low rainfall summers, and rainy springs.


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