• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-56
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• 2009

Orchid seeds are nearly microscopic in size. Because of that, many fanciful theories were proposed for the origin of orchids. Almost 400 years separate the time when orchid seeds were seen for the first time and the development of a practical asymbiotic method for their germination. The seeds were first observed and drawn during the sixteenth century. Seedlings were first described and illustrated in 1804. The association between orchid and fungi was observed as early as 1824, while the requirement for mycorrhiza for seed germination was established in 1899. An asymbiotic method for orchid seed germination was developed in 1921. After Knudson's media B and C were formulated, orchids growing and hybridization became widespread. Hybrids which early growers may not have even imagined became possible.

• Mycobiology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.146-153
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• 2002

Two types of mycorrhizae, orchid(OM) and arbuscular mycorrhizae(AM), were observed in the cortical cells of Botrychium ternatum roots. The vesicles or arbuscules of AM fungi were examined and the fresh or digestive pelotons by other species of basidiomycetes were also observed in the roots under light microscope. These symbioses were, as the genomic DNAs extracted from roots of B. ternatum reacted with the specific primers, confirmed with PCR technique, being added to more strong evidences. These discoveries were rarely happened in the roots, especially a fern in nature. OM was observed in the roots of B. ternatum collected from the nationwide areas, whereas AM was only in the roots of B. ternatum collected from Chung-Buk areas. It is speculated that OM are associated with the nitrogen cycle in Islands and the growth of B. ternatum in the inland of Central Korea is related to both the phosphate and nitrogen cycle in the nature. The results suggest that B. ternatum is a typical species with two types of mycorrhizae under various growing conditions.

• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.142-149
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• 2022

Orchids live with mycorrhizal fungi in mutualism. This symbiotic relationship plays an essential role in the overall life cycle of orchids from germination, growth, settlement, and reproduction. Among the 1000 species of the orchid, the Korean lady's slipper, Cypripedium japonicum, is known as an endangered species. Currently, only five natural habitats of the Korean lady's slipper remain in South Korea, and the population of Korean lady's slipper in their natural habitat is not increasing. To prevent extinction, this study was designed to understand the fungal community interacting in the rhizosphere of the Korean lady's slipper living in the native and artificial habitats. In-depth analyses were performed to discover the vital mycorrhizal fungi contributing to habitat expansion and cultivation of the endangered orchid species. Our results suggested that Lycoperdon nigrescens contributed most to the increase in natural habitats and Russula violeipes as a characteristic of successful cultivation. And the fungi that helped L. nigrescens and R. violeipes to fit into the rhizosphere community in Korean lady's slipper native place were Paraboeremia selaginellae and Metarhizium anisopliae, respectively. The findings will contribute to restoring and maintaining the endangered orchid population in natural habitats.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.10a
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• pp.37-37
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• 2018

We use two different methods for laboratory propagation from seed of lady's slipper orchid(Cypripedium macranthos Sw.); immature seed which also called green capsule or fully mature seed about 120~130 days from pollination. In green capsule culture, the seed pods should be collected within precisely right time. The right time of seed collection could be diverse under the wether conditions or nutritional factors of the plants. In fully matured seed culture, the more complicated procedures are needed to break the dormancy of the seed; thermal or chemical treatment. The seedlings in this study were easily germinated from immature seeds in Harvais medium; 53 days after pollination(DAP) in Cypripedium pubescens, DAP 65 in C. parviflorum and C. macranthos. The germinated seedlings were transplanted to hormone free media immediately to avoid abnormal growth of seedlings. When the seedlings have roots with a minimum length of around 2-3cm and have visible dormant buds, the seedlings were removed from the flask and stored in refrigerator for vernalization. To examine the correlation of seedlings and maternal plants, the 125 seedlings of C. macranthos were transplanted in the soil bed at a distance of 20-100 cm from mother plants on April 20. The survival rate of seedlings were 92% in 20 cm distance from the ripe plants, and 56 % in 100 cm distance. The seedlings which were transplanted near mother plants showed vigorous growth in plant height, leaf width, and especially dormant buds. Considering the existence of mycorrhiza which is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a orchid vascular, the various fungus from mother plants could affect the growth of the seedlings. These results indicate the possibility of high and stable production and practical industrialization of endangered lady's slipper orchids.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2020

Mycorrhiza refers to the association between a plant and a fungus colonizing the cortical tissue of the plant's roots during periods of active plant growth. The benefits afforded by plants from mycorrhizal symbioses can be characterized either agronomically, based on increased growth and yield, or ecologically, based on improved fitness (i.e., reproductive ability). In either case, the benefit accrues primarily because mycorrhizal fungi form a critical linkage between plant roots and the soil. The soilborne or extramatrical hyphae take up nutrients from the soil solution and transport them to the root. This mycorrhizae-mediated mechanism increases the effective absorptive surface area of the plant. There are seven major types of mycorrhizae along with mycoheterotrophy: endomycorrhizae (arbuscular mycorrhizae, AM), ectomycorrhizae (EM), ectendomycorrhizae, monotropoid, arbutoid, orchid, and ericoid. Endomycorrhizal fungi form arbuscules or highly branched structures within root cortical cells, giving rise to arbuscular mycorrhiza, which may produce extensive extramatrical hyphae and significantly increase phosphorus inflow rates in the plants they colonize. Ectomycorrhizal fungi may produce large quantities of hyphae on the root and in the soil; these hyphae play a role in absorption and translocation of inorganic nutrients and water, and also release nutrients from litter layers by producing enzymes involved in mineralization of organic matters. Over 4,000 fungal species, primarily belonging to Basidiomycotina and to a lesser extent Ascomycotina, are able to form ectomycorrhizae. Many of these fungi produce various mushrooms on the forest floor that are traded at a high price. In this paper, we discuss the benefits, nutrient cycles, and artificial cultivation of mycorrhizae in Korea.