Edition 3- May 1997
Edition 3- May 1997 |
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Stéphan Declerck, Senior Scientist, BCCM™/MUCL - (Agro)industrial Fungi & Yeasts Collection
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are key components of the soil microbial population, forming symbiotic associations with the majority of higher plant taxa. The benefits of such association for the plant partner include stronger growth, drought tolerance and pathogen resistance. Despite great economic potential, the inability to grow these fungi axenically - they are obligate symbionts - has restricted fundamental research into these organisms and dampened enthusiasm for large-scale production and soil inoculation of pathogen-free inoculum.
In vitro cultivation systems remain the most promising route to large-scale production of low-cost, high quality inoculum. Various co-culture techniques have been developed, but to date, only a limited number of Glomus species have been successfully cultured in vitro.
Dr. Declerck has used and improved a technique, developed in the early 1980s by Strullu and Romand, based on the association of intraradical structures of the fungi and roots, genetically transformed by Agrobacterium rhizogenes. This method was successfully applied to different Glomus species, leading to the production of numerous fungal propagules and ensuring the long term in vitro maintenance of the species. This system can be used as a rhizosphere model, either for fundamental research - in the study of the colonisation process and symbiotic expression, effects of heavy metal toxicity, and interaction with other soil microorganisms - or for inoculum production technologies. In addition, the monoxenic continuous culture of AM fungi allows the creation of fungal libraries.
Current research in the BCCM™/MUCL laboratory is focused on:
Contact
Dr. S. Declerck,
BCCM™/MUCL
Tel. +32 10 47 37 42
Fax. +32 10 45 15 01
E-mail: declerck@mbla.ucl.ac.be
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