In article <czsC4D4IF.GqG at netcom.com>, czs at netcom.com (Christian Smith) writes:
>Hi Richard,
>>I wish we had more mycorrhizal expertise tuned in out there, but we don't
>seem to. My own mycological background is heavily biased towards regular
>old plant pathogens. It would be great if we had some way of advertising
>the Internet at some of the annual professional meetings. Anyway, I've
>got a question for you. Has it been unequivocally demonstrated for a
>large number of ecto-mycorrhizal species that live tree roots are
>necessary for basidiocarp (in basidiomyctes) formation. In other words
>have they been able to exclude the role of "third party" organisms in
>the process? If so how have these types of experiments been designed?
>Just thought I'd ask.
Some ectos have been grown in axenic culture, but the results seem somewhat
hit-and-miss (not all species of a genus will fruit, and the fruiting bodies
tend to be pretty small). It is supposed that the majority of species
require the symbiotic association to fruit, but I don't think that a serious
attempt has been made to exhaust the possibilites. For the boletaceae,
Hagem's medium has been used, as well as defined media. Culturing is done
in a deep vessle full of agar (such as a beaker).
Hagem's media (modified by Modess)
5 g Glucose
5 g Malt extract
0.5 g KH2PO4
0.5 g MgSO4.7H2O
0.5 g NH4Cl
0.5 ml 1% Ferric citrate solution
15 g Difco agar
1 L Water
Melin & Das defined medium
5 g Glucose
5 g Maltose
1 g KH2PO4
0.5 g MgSO4.7H2O
0.5 g Ammonium tartrate
0.5 ml 1% Ferric citrate solution
2.5 mg ZnSO4
50 ug Thiamin HCl
Reference: McLaughlin, D. 1970. Environmental control of fruitbody
development in Boletus rubinellus in axenic culture. Mycologia 62:307-331.
I've found references to culture of the following (not to be taken as anywhere
near a complete list):
Boletus rubinellus
edulis
Gyrodon merulioides
Boletinus cavipes
pictus
spectabilis
grisellus
Phlebopus sulphureus
lignicola
Xerocomus badius
illudens
Laccaria fraterna
laccata
Hydnangium carneum
The B. edulis entry looks particularly interesting. -RSW
RICHARD WINDER Title: Visiting Fellow
Forestry Canada Phone: (604) 363-0600
Victoria, B.C. Internet: RWINDER at A1.PFC.Forestry.CA
