Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Micropropagated Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) Plants

Mycorrhization could be a valuable tool in order to overcome abiotic and biotic stresses during acclimatisation of vitro plants and transplant into the field. Hazelnut is considered to be an ectomycorrhizal plant but there is a lack of knowledge about the susceptibility of hazelnut to AM colonization. The aim of the present research was to study the susceptibility of micropropagated Corylus avellana L. to AM fungi in order to obtain a better propagation. Micropropagated plants of C. avellana cv. Tonda Gentile Romana were potted into polypropylene containers with a peat and perlite mixture (3:1 v/v) and were inoculated with AM fungi. Two different AM inocula were used: one consisting of spores collected from soil cores of hazelnut farms in Central Italy and multiplied using lettuce as trap plants, and one commercial inoculum consisting of Glomus intraradices. The control plants did not receive any fungal inoculum. Plants were grown in an unheated green house and two months after transplanting a nutrient solution was distributed at fifteen day intervals. After one year, inoculated plants had greater biomass and roots were colonized by AM fungi. This study describes, for the first time, AM colonization of this woody species.