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Abstract

Objective: To evaluate whether the spores of the edible fungus Laccaria laccata (Scop.) Cooke encapsulated in a freeze-dried biopolymeric matrix of chitosan-xanthan are capable of causing ectomycorrhization in Pinus greggii Englem. trees in grenhouse.

Methodology: Pearls were made with the biopolymer chitosan-xanthan, in which spores of the edible ectomycorrhizal fungus L. laccata were encapsulated. Embedded spores were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy to assess possible structural damage. Subsequently, these pearls were used as biofertilizers in a greenhouse bioassay using Pinus greggii plants to evaluate their ability to be ectomycorrhized. The bioassay lasted 270 days, when it was evaluated in order to check if there was ectomycorrhizal colonization, using stereoscopic and bright field microscopy. Additionally, it was evaluated if there was an increase in terms of growth in inoculated plants compared to non-inoculated plants 180 and 270 days after sowing.

Results: The encapsulated spores of L. laccata in the biopolymeric matrix formed ectomycorrhizae in the P. greggii roots. The percentages of ectomycorrhizal colonization in the plants varied from 80 to 90%, demonstrating that the production of biopolymeric pearls with chitosan-xanthan are capable of maintaining the viability of the spores of the ectomycorrhizal fungus evaluated, and of extensively colonizing the roots of Pinus greggii.

Limitations on study /Implications: Pearls encapsulated in a biopolymeric matrix containing spores of the fungus L. laccata are capable of inducing ectomycorrhization in trees of forest importance.

Conclusions: Encapsulated spores of an edible ectomycorrhizal fungus in the chitosan-xanthan biopolymer have potential as a forest biofertilizer, which opens the opportunity for industrial scaling.