The effects of ectomycorrhizal inoculation on survival and growth of Pinus thunbergii seedlings planted in saline soil

Soil salinization is one of the important factors for agriculture and considered to be responsible for the loss of cultivated land worldwide. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi can improve the tolerance of their hosts to adverse conditions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyse the effects of three widespread and broad host range ECM fungi, Laccaria amethystina (La), Pisolithus tinctorius (Pt) and Cenococcum geophilum (Cg), inoculation on growth and nutrient uptake of Pinus thunbergii seedlings under salt stress. Results indicated that, under saline conditions, compared to non-ectomycorrhizal seedlings, ECM fungi inoculation, especially La, significantly increased seedling biomass, chlorophyll a, nutrient elements (like phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium) in shoots, as well as maintained a low ratio of Na+/K+ in roots under salt stress. Inoculation with ECM fungi could assist the host to overcome salt stress, but the effectiveness of the symbiosis in salt conditions might depend on ECM species. In-depth study of the effects of different strains on the salt tolerance associated with different host plants will become an important direction for the research of subsequent ECM.