To examine the effects of ericoid mycorrhizal (ERM) fungi on salt tolerance of ericaceous plants, we inoculated roots of velvetleaf blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides), Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum), and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) with ericoid mycorrhizal fungi Oidiodendron maius and Meliniomyces variabilis. Plants were subjected to 0 (NaCl control) and 30 mM NaCl treatments, and plant dry weights, gas exchange, and leaf chlorophyll concentrations were compared in inoculated and non-inoculated plants. M. variabilis increased root dry weights in all three species of NaCl-treated plants, and O. maius enhanced root dry weights of lingonberry plants treated with NaCl. Both fungal species were especially effective in enhancing root and shoot dry weights in control (0 mM NaCl) and NaCl-treated lingonberry seedlings. Leaf chlorophyll concentrations were enhanced by fungal inoculation in all three plant species, and this effect persisted under salt stress in Labrador tea and lingonberry. Salt treatment drastically reduced transpiration rates (E) and lowered net photosynthesis (Pn) to the negative values in all three species of non-inoculated plants, and this effect was partly or almost completely reversed by the inoculation with O. maius and M. variabilis. Fungal inoculation was especially effective in reducing NaCl effects on Pn in lingonberry. Oidiodendron maius and M. variabilis were also equally effective in reversing NaCl-induced declines of E in velvetleaf blueberry and lingonberry. However, in Labrador tea, O. maius reversed the decline of E in NaCl-treated plants less compared with M. variabilis resulting in high photosynthetic water use efficiency values. The results support the hypothesis that, similarly to arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal associations, ERM association increases salt tolerance of plants.

中文翻译：

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类固醇菌根真菌增强了菊科植物的耐盐性。

为了检验ericoid菌根（ERM）的杜鹃科植物的耐盐性真菌的作用，我们接种麻蓝莓（根越桔myrtilloides），拉布拉多茶（杜鹃groenlandicum）和越橘（越桔）与ericoid菌根真菌Oidiodendron maius和蜜蜂属。使植物经受0（NaCl对照）和30 mM NaCl处理，并比较接种和未接种植物的植物干重，气体交换和叶绿素浓度。中号。variabilis在所有三种NaCl处理过的植物和O中增加了根的干重。莫伊斯NaCl处理可提高越橘植物的根部干重。在对照（0 mM NaCl）和NaCl处理的越橘幼苗中，这两种真菌都特别有效地增加了根和茎的干重。在所有三种植物中，真菌接种均提高了叶绿素的浓度，这种作用在盐胁迫下在拉布拉多茶和越橘中持续存在。盐处理极大地降低了三种未接种植物的蒸腾速率（E），净光合作用（Pn）降低至负值，而O接种则部分或几乎完全抵消了这种影响。maius和中号。变异性。真菌接种对减少NaCl对越橘中Pn的影响特别有效。Oidiodendron maius和中号。可变参数在逆转NaCl引起的丝绒蓝莓和越橘E的下降方面也同样有效。但是，在拉布拉多茶中，O。与M相比，maius减少了NaCl处理植物中E的下降。变异导致高的光合水利用效率值。结果支持这样的假设：与丛枝菌根和外生菌根的结合类似，ERM结合增加了植物的耐盐性。