Mycorrhizae, mushrooms, and research trends in Korea

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 mycorrhizaemediated 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.