Synergistic effects between Suilllus luteus and Trichoderma virens on growth of Korean spruce seedlings and drought resistance of Scotch pine seedlings

Korean spruce ( Picea koraiensis Sieb. El Zucc.) is one of the main afforestation species in northern China. Seedling quality is a critical factor at planting time. To test whether the synergistic growth enhancement of Scotch pine ( P. sylvestris var . mongolica ) seedlings brought by the plant beneficial fungus Trichoderma virens (J.H. Mill., Giddens and A.A. Foster) Arx and ectomycorrhizal fungus ( Suillus luteus (L.) Roussel.) can also benefit Korean spruce seedlings, we examined the effects of S. luteus and T. virens on the growth of P. koraiensis seedlings and drought resistance of P. sylvestris var . mongolica in peat soils. The two fungi were added to sterilized peat soil in pots, and the plants were grown for 4 months. Seedling growth and physiological variables, including mycorrhizal colonization rate of roots, biomass, and chlorophyll content, were examined. The colonization rate of the mycorrhizal fungus on P. koraiensis exceeded 65 %, and the synergism between S. luteus and T. virens enhanced most of the variables for P. koraiensis seedlings after inoculation with S. luteus then 30 days later with T. virens as in our published results for seedlings of P. sylvestris var . mongolica . When seedlings of P. sylvestris var . mongolica were inoculated with this sequence, they became more drought tolerant. T. virens also induced S. luteus to produce -1,3-glucanase and chitinase. This inoculation sequence at planting can thus improve the quality of P. sylvestris var . mongolica and P. koraiensis seedlings and substantiates our previous results.