Actinorhizal plants of Turkey: formation of nodules, cluster roots and ectomycorrhizal roots

Abstract

None of the known native actinorhizal species in Turkey, Alnus glutinosa and A. orientalis (Betulaceae), Datisca cannabina (Datiscaceae), Elaeagnus angustifolia and Hippophae rhamnoides (Elaeagnaceae), and the widely-planted exotic Casuarina cunninghamiana (Casuarinaceae), have confirmed records of actinorhizae in Turkey. This study determined the capacity of representative actinorhizal plants in Turkey to form nodules, cluster roots and ectomycorrhizal roots in a typical central Anatolian soil with and without amendment of soil and nodule extracts, as well as in soil from Adana and Izmir. Nodulation was confirmed experimentally for E. angustifolia and C. cunninghamiana in Niğde soil (the latter only with addition Adana or Izmir soil), but only observationally for A. glutinosa during sample collection in Rize. Cluster roots developed strongly in C. cunninghamiana, and likewise ectomycorrhizal roots in Allocasuarina verticillata (included as a reference species) but only to a lesser extent in C. cunninghamiana. The nodulation status of the natives, D. cannabina and H. rhamnoides, remains to be investigated.

Cold Sensitivity of Field-Grown Allocasuarina and Casuarina Tree Species

“…Up to six plants (minimum 3; Table 1) were established in each cluster depending on the available planting stock (1-3 replicate clusters per accession) to give 19 clusters and 100 plants in total. Analysis of soil from this site was reported by Riley et al (2021).…”