Abstract

Orchids require mycorrhizal fungi (OMF) for their germination and growth. Propagation and re-introduction initiatives would likely require inoculation with such fungi. All Chilean Orchidaceae species are terrestrial and likely associate with OMF. We collected adult individuals of the endemic Chilean orchid Chloraea gavilu and transported them to a glasshouse where we obtained mature capsules through manual auto-pollination. We asymbiotically germinated seeds in vitro using Malmgren Modified Terrestrial Orchid-Medium (MM). Embryos were put in glass flasks with MM where roots and leaves developed for 16 weeks. Plants were then transplanted to 165 mL pots and randomly separated into three groups; plants inoculated separately with Ceratobasidium OMFs isolated from two Chilean orchid species (Chloraea virescens and Codonorchis lessonii), and uninoculated (control) plants. Plants were then put in a growth chamber. Three months later, inoculated individuals showed pelotons inside parenchyma cells in the roots. Four months after inoculation, mycorrhizal plants had higher root and shoot biomass compared to control plants. At the end of the experiment, the highest mycorrhization was achieved with the Ceratobasidium strain isolated from C. lessonii. The artificial mycorrhization of endemic orchids could be a key strategy for future conservation and propagation initiatives, especially for endangered or commercially interesting species.

摘要

兰花需要菌根真菌（OMF）才能发芽和生长。繁殖和再引入计划可能需要接种此类真菌。智利兰科的所有物种都是陆生的，可能与OMF有关。我们收集了当地特有的智利兰花Chloraea gavilu的成年个体，并将其运送到温室中，在这里我们通过手动自动授粉获得了成熟的胶囊。我们使用Malmgren修饰的陆地兰花培养基（MM）在体外使种子萌发。将胚放入具有MM的玻璃烧瓶中，其中根和叶发育16周。然后将植物移植到165 mL盆中，并随机分为三组。分别用角柏科植物接种的植物从两种智利兰花物种（Chloraea virescens和Codonorchis lessonii）和未接种（对照）植物中分离出的OMF 。然后将植物放入生长室中。三个月后，接种的个体在根部的实质细胞内显示出了蛋白石。接种后四个月，与对照植物相比，菌根植物的根和茎生物量更高。在实验结束时，分离自C. lessonii的头孢菌属菌株获得了最高的菌根。特有兰花的人工菌根可能成为未来保护和繁殖计划的关键策略，特别是对于濒临灭绝或具有商业意义的物种。