SUSBIOFOR: Sustainable bio-technologies against forest regeneration decline and soil erosion in North-eastern Bohemia

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 98.0158

Key words (English)

Sustainable biotechnologies; forest degeneration decline; soil erosion

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: IC15-CT98-0111

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 4. Frame Research Programme - 8.1 Cooperation with 3rd countries & intern. organisations

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: Università di Torino (I)

Abstract (English)

According to the tasks described in the technical annex, the Swiss project described the ectomycorrhizal diversity on three permanent plots in the Giant Mountains CZ, to evaluate possible biotechnological measures against forest regeneration decline: Modry Dul (MD), a forest in good conditions and with seedling regeneration; Alzbetinka (AL), a forest with some symptoms of decline and with poor regeneration; Mumlavska Hora (MH), a declining forest with poor regeneration. Three different approaches were applied for describing ectomycorrhizal diversity: (1) morphotyping and (2) molecular typing (ITS-PCR-RFLP) of mycorrhizas sampled on the plots and from a biotest, and (3) a fruitbody inventory.
The results show that the roots of old trees and of seedlings are completely mycorrhizal on all three sites. On old trees, ectomycorrhizal diversity (RFLP-types, macromycetes and morphotypes) is highest at the healthiest site (MD), lowest at the most damaged site (MH). On seedlings these differences were much less pronounced. The results indicate that a deficiency in ectomycorrhizal fungi can not be a primary cause for the observed lack of natural regeneration on these sites. This means that a biotechnological manipulation by artificial inoculation with ectomycorrhizal fungi is not a promising strategy to overcome the regeneration decline of these degraded forests.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 98.0158