The MGS Forum
Gardening in mediterranean climates => General Cultivation => Topic started by: Marilyn on December 19, 2011, 01:00:35 PM
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Hello all,
Use of mycorrhizal fungi at the planting stage has become more or less common practice in the UK. (For those not familiar with this, the idea is you innoculate the plant with soil fungi from the beginning, setting them up in a symbiotic relationship. The root network of fungi is very much larger and thus can supply the plant with more water and nutrient than the plant's own roots could access. In return, the fungus gets carbohydrates produced through photosynthesis, which the fungus could not do on its own.)
In the UK, there are packets of mycorrhiza in granules available in garden centres, that you can sprinkle in as you plant, easy-peasy! But I have two questions. 1) Are these available via mail order or has anyone seen them for sale in mediterranean regions (preferably Portugal!)? and 2) more importantly, are the fungi species the same as those in the UK or would they simply shrivel up and die over the summer here? In which case, are there different mycorrhiza mixes that we can use here?
Thanks!
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Marilyn,
I've been asking this same question of anyone I can get to listen here in Cyprus, so far to no avail. I haven't given up yet though and if I ever find anything I'll post it on the Forum.
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Marilyn did you read my post about the use of pheomones to control Olive fly??
They are available by mail order from the UK. Not sure about the species and not sure if they would work in a med summer. I attach an MGS report for your interest. david
MYCORRHIZAL PREPARATIONS: A STUDY
The Scientific Committee
It has become increasingly difficult to read a gardening magazine or view an article on the internet without seeing reference to the benefits of mycorrhizal-fungi (m-f). The mediterranean gardener may be asking him or herself the following questions; What are these fungi and what do they do? How do they work? How are they employed? Where can they be obtained? Would they be of use in an ornamental or culinary garden? Do they do what it says on the tin? As members of the MGS Scientific Committee (SC) we hope that we may be able to throw a little light onto some of these questions.
What are m-f? These organisms are referred to as beneficial soil fungi and as such are not to be confused with the non-beneficial, destructive fungi such as Armillaria mellea or A. gallica more commonly known as Honey Fungus. It has been estimated that around 70% of the biomass in undisturbed soils consists of mycorrhizal type of organisms. However, it has been shown that events which substantially disturb the soil, such as compaction, erosion, building operations and the use of soil-less mixtures can result in the reduction or even the elimination of these beneficial fungi.
What do they do? Around 90% of plant species form a mutual or symbiotic relationship with m-f. These “hybrid” materials generally fall into two main groups; those resulting in an external modification of the root tissues are termed ectomycorrhizae, while those forming structures within the root are called endomycorrhizae or arbuscular mycorrhizae.
The vast majority of commercially grown tree species worldwide form ectomycorrhizae whilst the most important agricultural and horticultural plants form endomycorrhizae. There are of course some plants that do not rely on mycorrhizal development in their natural environment and examples of these being found in the plants that rapidly develop following events that destroy or disturb existing mycorrhizal fungi, such as fire and soil disturbance.
How do they work? The m-f colonises the roots and extends far out into the surrounding soil greatly increasing the surface absorbing area of the roots. The colonised root system is termed a mycorrhiza and is fundamental to the establishment of the plant. The mycorrhizae supply water and nutrients for growth and in turn receive sugars and other materials from the host plant. In addition they release chemicals into the soil which help to free-up many difficult to absorb trace elements. The plants are therefore under less drought stress and more able to resist disease attack. Indeed there is evidence that the chemicals released can also suppress and kill disease organisms in the root zone. Mycorrhizal filaments also produce humic compounds leading to an improvement in the soil porosity. This improvement leads in turn to increased aeration, water movement and hence root growth and distribution.
How are they employed? Products available to the amateur gardener can be either sprinkled into the bottom of a planting hole in direct contact with the naked roots, along a seed drill or a pinch below the position of a seed or bulb. In the latter two cases a thin layer of soil is used to cover the material before sowing or planting as normal. As the roots grow they will penetrate the fungal layer and become colonised.
The products commercially available contain both ecto and endo m-f on an inert mineral carrier. As such they can be used as a general-purpose treatment on a wide range of plants. However the following acid loving plants are not recommended for treatment - rhododendrons, azaleas, heathers, cranberries and blueberries as well as brassicas.
To facilitate their application to large bare rooted plants, they may be dipped into a gel preparation containing the fungi thereby improving the coverage of the roots.
Where can they be obtained? At the present time they can take a little tracking down and do not seem to be widely available in the normal outlets for the amateur gardener. As usual the internet and online suppliers proved the most convenient way of obtaining a supply for private use.
Are they useful in an ornamental or culinary garden? In order to try and answer this particular question members of the MGS SC agreed to conduct a limited trial over the winter period in the Languedoc Roussillon region of France using a winter crop of Valerianella locusta more commonly known as mâche, corn salad or lamb’s lettuce.
The following treatments were compared:
1. Mâche treated with “Rootgrow” following the manufacturer`s recommendations.
2. Mâche untreated
“Rootgrow"TM is produced under licence from the Royal Horticultural Society by Plantworks® Ltd UK.
Test plants: mâche grown in peat blocks/plugs.Twenty plugs were dipped in the gel containing the m-f and then left to drain for 10 minutes. 20 plugs were left untreated. The plugs were then planted outdoors in open ground in alternate rows. The trial was repeated at three different locations in the Languedoc over the period from late October to the end of January 2010 approximately eleven weeks.
Assessments and harvesting: Each rosette of plants was first assessed by visually ranking the rosettes as small, average and large and scored 1, 2 or 3, the score was totaled. The crop was then harvested by cutting at the base of the rosette and the foliage weighed. This weight was then divided by the number of plugs to arrive at a weight per plug.
Results: location 1 location 2 location 3
T UT T UT T UT
No of plugs 23 22 20 20 19 19
Visual score 48 35 44 33 41 39.5
Total weight g 251 159 755 705 372 452
Visual score/ plug 2.1 1.6 2.2 1.6 2.16 2.1
Weight / plug g 10.9 10.0 37.7 35.2 19.5 23.
At all locations the visual score for the treated mâche indicated more robust plant compared to the untreated and this was confirmed by higher yields except at location 3. At this location the plants were washed before weighing and this could have contributed to a higher weight of untreated plants.
Conclusion: This trial indicates a small 5-10% yield increase for mâche grown under winter conditions; further studies would be required to confirm this result on different species of mediterranean plants grown under spring or summer conditions and over a longer period.
Directions for use for “Rootgrow”:
1. In a suitable container add 1 litre of water.
2. Sprinkle the white gel powder into the water and stir well.
3. Leave for 5 mins and then add the Rootgrow granules and stir until the granules are evenly suspended in the thick liquid (wallpaper paste consistency).
4. Dip the roots of the plant or cell into the gel and allow coverage of the whole root system. Say 5 minutes. If the gel seems too thick add up to 250mls more of water.
5. Remove the plants or cell, drain briefly and plant immediately
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Just a footnote to David's posting: Not surprising that mâche responded to the mycorrhizal treatment, as its association with mycorrhiza is so well established that in scientific institutions' trials of other treatments/conditions using mâche as a test subject it's not unusual to find the mycorrhizal addition specified. But of course what suits mâche doesn't necessarily suit everything else!
I've not been able to find a UK supplier willing to supply people overseas.
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Alisdair attached is the website where you can buy "Rootgrow" with the costs for shipping overseas.!http://rootgrow.co.uk/index.php/postal-charges.html
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Further to my previous posting regarding mycorrhizal fungi in Cyprus. One of the MGS members in Cyprus, Dimitris Shukuroglu, owns an agricultural products retail company and has recently opened a green waste recycling plant producing compost and potting soils. I had spoken to him before on this subject but with Marilyn bringing it to the fore once more I approached him again. It seems that they have begun to stock a product called Mycormax produced by Bio Tech of California. In their stores they have 2 and 10 kilo containers, the 2 k costing 95 euros + VAT (99.75 euro), I didn't ask the price of the 10k!! They also have small (5 gram) packets of it labelled, Biological Transplant Starter, at 0.52 cents + VAT (0.55 cents). These packets, looking remarkably like tea-bags, are biodegradable and are added to planting holes, the number being dependant on the size of the plant involved. I bought a few to try out.
The Bio Tech web-site is http://jhbiotech.com. On the Home page under Products A-Z, in the right hand column, click on Mycormax for more info.
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This is very interesting, I know very little about it, but I have a question, will mycorrhiza produced in the UK or in Californiia be equally useful in a mediterranean climate, or would mycorrhiza from this area be better?
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You know I have no idea . I would have thought that "local" mycorrhiza would be preferential but you probably need to use with what is available. You could contact the Rootgrow people and ask them. I think Rootgrow was developed at the RHS, Wisley.They have a Q/A service.
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I have been meaning to try this for some time and have just ordered some to give it a go. I spoke to the company and mentioned the interest in the Mediterranean and suggested they should look into it.
Here's what was on their site as part of their questions answered.
Question - Does rootgrow work with subtropical and Mediterranean plants?
Answer - Yes rootgrow does work with these types of plants. Even though they may come from tropical climates you are planting them into UK soils or growing them in containers under UK conditions. Some of the species of mycorrhizal fungi in rootgrow are soil specific not plant specific and these will colonise such plants.
This doesn't conclude that the product will work in the Med or elsewhere. Perhaps it would be worth them doing a trial at an institute or garden in the Med to find out. Though I suspect as others have said that mycorrhiza native to an ecosystem would be best.
I'm sure that I have heard of bacteria that are used in the same way in nursery container production.
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As I mentioned in my post of Dec 20 the product on offer here in Cyprus is manufactured in California so I assume should be suitable for a Med climate. Click on the web-site given and follow the instructions, then it's possible to view the product label which lists all 7 of the Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi used in the product along with usage, storage instructions etc.
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I have read with interest the discussion that has started about mycorrhizal fungi and plants in the med region. Our company PlantWorks, is the producer and supplier of roogrow mycorrhizal fungi, so I hope I can impart some useful information for the forum members.
Although rootgrow is particularly tuned to European soils it contains a blend of species that are highly asdaptable to most plant types and regions.
it has been found to work perfectly well in mediteraenean soils and hot climates on a wide variety of plants. We have supplied rootgrow and rootgrow professional to many European Countries including, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Italy, Turkey etc. so far we have had only positive responses. At Plantworks we have a library of region specific species that can be bulked up to produce inoculum for most parts of the world - although this would only be feasible on a large scale due to time and cost. We have production licences in Africa and the Middle East that has supported landscaping, tea plantations, flower production and agriculture, we have also supplied various planting projects around the world.
In the UK rootgrow is the only product of its type to be endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society - this unprecedented move was made following many years of trials and real time usage by RHS gardeners. The product is sold in over 800 gardening outlets and has become best practice for roses, hedging and fruit trees in particular to help with replant problemsand to aid establishment and early vigour.
I would be happy to answer any questions the forum members might have either directly ot through the Forum.
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Thanks Simon, That's very helpful.
So pile in with your questions for him, folks!
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I have a question for Simon about using Rootgrow, do you think it could be used in conjunction with Ferns of which many though not all are woodland plants. Though there are some obvious xerophytes in the Med. Also have you any knowledge of the response with orchids, terrestrials are more likely to respond and again woodland types I would expect to do best? I am referring to mature plants not seed raising.
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Most woodland ferns do have mycorrhizal associations however in some species they can be low or non existent. Interestingly, the lesser colonised species tend to be those that grow in rock crevises with access to running water. take a look at the web site address for a little more detail on primative plants. http://mycorrhizas.info/evol.html
To be frank - Orchid mycorrhizal associations is a subject I know little about - I do know that there is a critical necessity for some species of orchid to have orchid mycorrizal fungi present at seed germination, this is in part due to the seed containing insufficient food source for the seedling, the mycorrhiza is the perfect root substitute. Most woodland orchids are well colonised by maturity and do not need the essential orchid fungi at germination.
Hope this helps.
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Yes thanks.
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Hello to all,
First, my apologies for the long silence; I had no idea that there had been any, let alone so many, replies to this post - I thought I had my "alert when someone replies to post" switched on, but it would appear not... Will remedy that forthwith. All of the above very interesting - it sounds like you are all quite well up on the subject and, like me, the problem has been finding suppliers of these useful fungi.
FYI, I wanted to tell you about a project made by a Landscape Management colleague of mine, who did his dissertation on the use of m-f in reforestation and roadside verges. His results support those of other similar studies - as I recall, the figures were something like less than 5% losses when inoculated by m-f at planting, as compared to anything from 20-50% in control areas, with year-on-year growth significantly increased in the first three years (maybe up to 200% more foliage and girth; perhaps Simon can corroborate?)
Again, if I remember well, these were trees planted as bare-rooted whips in Autumn, with no irrigation in the summer. Typical native British hedgerow species - Acer campestre, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Viburnum opulus, Corylus avellana etc. The study was near Maidstone, Kent.
Finally, Simon - I am quite sure we have met, at Jacobs in Maidstone! I will pm you regarding supply and prices to Portugal.
Thanks again for all the comments, everyone. :D