Interactions of Newly Isolated Orchid Mycorrhizal Fungi with Korean Cymbidium kanran Hybrid 'Chungsu'

ABSTRACT

Two fungal isolates obtained from roots of Cymbidium goeriingii in Jeju island were confirmed to be symbiotic with orchid plantlets, and were compared with other orchid mycorrhizal (OM) fungi previously isolated. The two isolates differed in their peloton structures formed in the roots of Cymbidium kanran hybrid 'Chungsu' and in responses of orchid plant. These two isolates differed from the additionally tested OM fungi in some features, and from root damaging species of Rhizoctonia and Fusarium as based on cluster analysis after PCR-RAPD with the primers, Bioneer-28 and OPO-2. With this simple and fast technique, it was possible to distinguish OM fungi from the plant root pathogenic fungi based on calculation of their polymorphic bands. This technique can therefore be helpful to distinguish the OM fungi from the root pathogens. Particularly, the new isolates are considered as new resource of symbiotic fungi for horticultural industries.