African Journal of
Microbiology Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Microbiol. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1996-0808
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJMR
  • Start Year: 2007
  • Published Articles: 5236

Full Length Research Paper

Effects of forty strains of orchidaceae mycorrhizal fungi on growth of protocorms and plantlets of Dendrobium candidum and D. nobile

Yang Dan, Zhi-xia Meng and Shun-Xing Guo*
Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 30 July 2011
  •  Published: 09 January 2012

Abstract

Dendrobium candidum and D. nobile, rare medicinal herbs in China, are difficult in artificial propagation due to symbiotic cultivation using endophytic fungi. In order to establish a symbiotic system, we investigated several decades of endophytic fungi from Orchidaceae plants in growth promotion of dendrobe (D. candidum and D. nobile). Forty strains were inoculated upon protocorms and plantlets of dendrobes and incubated for 60 days. Symbiotic strains were screened out by survival of hosts, and the survival hosts were measured in height and weight at interval days. Six of the 40 strains were best for development of the hosts, including Strains DC-13 (Mycena dendrobii), AR-13 (Mycena anoectochila), AR-15 (Epulorhiza sp.), DC-8 (Epulorhiza sp.), DN-3 (Gliocladium sp.), and AR-7 (Cephalosporium sp.). The former three were better than the rest ones. Gliocladiumsp. (DN-3) was first found in promotion of Orchidaceae hosts and Cephalosporium sp. (AR-7) was the first species of Hyphomycetes for the development of Orchidaceae hosts. Several symbiotic cultivation systems have been established, which are the basis for propagation of Dendrobium plants in agriculture.

Key words: Dendrobium candidum, Dendrobium nobile, mycorrhizal fungi, Orchidaceae.