Effect of Vesicular–Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Rooting of Sciadopitys verticillata Sieb & Zucc. Cuttings

Abstract

A vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus in a peat-based medium significantly increased survival, callus development, and rooting percentage of Sciadopitys verticillata cuttings over noninoculated cuttings. The presence of a nurse host plant for the mycorrhizal fungi to colonize in the absence of S. verticillata roots decreased survival and rooting percentage, but not callus development, relative to the fungus without the nurse host. Among plants that did produce roots, however, there were no significant differences among treatments for root number, weight, or length per cutting.