SUCCESSFUL ECTOMYCORRHIZAL INOCULATION OF TWO DIPTEROCARP SPECIES WITH A LOCALLY ISOLATED FUNGUS IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA.

There is good potential for the application of ectomycorrhizas in improving dipterocarp seedling establishment, survival and growth through enhanced mineral nutrition and improved drought tolerance. However, these mycorrhizas must be easily propagated and applied as well as competitive with the native mycoflora, and indigenous ectomycorrhizal fungi are preferred. In this paper we report on the ability of a fungus isolated locally from ectomycorrhizas of Shorea parvifolia (Dipterocarpaceae) to form characteristic ectomycorrhizas with two different dipterocarp hosts, namely, Hopea odorata and Shorea leprosula. The fungus, designated FP160, has been provisionally identified as a member of the Thelephoraceae and efforts are on-going to identify it using molecular methods. FP160-inoculated H. odorata cuttings showed a positive growth response in the nursery but this effect was not significant when such cuttings were outplanted to a sandy tin tailing site. The smaller inoculated cuttings of S. leprosula, however, showed a significant growth response for up to three months in the field after outplanting but this effect disappeared thereafter. The synthesized FP160 ectomycorhizas on the dipterocarps were able to persist and remain dominant on inoculated plants for up to 23 months after outplanting in the sandy tin tailing site. FP160 appears to be a good candidate for enhancing the growth and development of plants in the nursery and in assisting the establishment of more fragile dipterocarps in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]