A PAPER-SANDWICH TECHNIQUE FOR RAPID SYNTHESIS OF ECTOMYCORRHIZAS.

In the basic pure-culture technique, fungus for inoculum is grown on stiff absorbent paper card over Potato Dextrose Agar, then this paper is removed aseptically and laid, fungus-side down, Oil to a two-dimensional array of roots of seedlings grown axenically on filter paper over a mineral salts agar medium. With the high inoculum potential achieved by this technique, ectomycorrhizas have been formed within one week of inoculating Pisolithus tinctorius Coker & Couch or Paxillus involutus (Batsch. ex Fr.) Fr. on to Eucalyptus globulus Subsp. bicostata (Maid. et al.) Kirkp., and over 50%, of root apices were converted to ectomycorrhizas within two weeks. The paper-based inoculum has also been applied successfully to convert peripheral roots of seedlings grown in peat-moss within clay pots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]