Examination of mycorrhizal associations of Allanblackia stuhlmannii
a tree under current domestication
Allanblackia stuhlmanniiSymbiontsArbuscular mycorrhizal fungiTree domesticationEast Usambara Mountains
Allanblackia is a tree genus native to humid forests in West, Central and East Africa. Its fruits contain large seeds from which edible high-quality fat can be extracted. In order to create a sustainable supply chain of Allanblackia seeds, a domestication program has been initiated with the purpose to enable smallholder farmers to grow the tree as an agroforestry component and cash crop. More knowledge is required to understand the tree?s biology and possible symbioses involving soil microorganisms with plant growth enhancing poten-tial. This is the first study to report on mycorrhizal associations and the fungal community of Allanblackia stuhlmannii, a species indigenous to Tanzania. The aim was to examine whether trees can form arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), the dominant type of mycorrhiza in tropical ecosystems formed by members of the fungal phyla Glomeromycota. In total 50 samples from seedlings and older trees were included in the study. AM structures, e.g. vesicles and potential arbuscules, were observed using microscopy. A large number of possible AM symbionts were also identified by molecular analysis, as well as fungi be-longing to Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. These results suggest that A. stuhlmannii is able to form arbuscular mycorrhiza, potentially with a wide range of fungal species. How-ever, it remains to clarify to what extent the growth of Allanblackia is benefiting from the association, as well as identify the key fungal species.