A basidiomycete isolated from a Pisonia mycorrhiza forms sheathing mycorrhizas with transfer cells on Pisonia grandis R. Br.

A basidiomycete isolated from a mycorrhiza of glasshouse-grown Pisonia grandis R. Br. (Nyctaginaceae) produced sheathing mycorrhizas with transfer cells when inoculated on to roots of Pisonia grandis in pots. Mycorrhizal synthesis was successful on Pisonia grandis in sterilized natural soil rich in phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and calcium, but unsuccessful in a range of other substrates of low nutrient status. The same fungus produced ectomycorrhizas, with a sheath and some intercellular penetration, on short lateral roots of Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr (Pinaceae) seedlings in growth pouches, but did not on Eucalyptus pilularis Smith (Myrtaceae). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]