fungi isolated from southern forest tree nursery soils
TRANSCRIPT
Mycological Society of America
Fungi Isolated from Southern Forest Tree Nursery SoilsAuthor(s): Charles S. HodgesSource: Mycologia, Vol. 54, No. 3 (May - Jun., 1962), pp. 221-229Published by: Mycological Society of AmericaStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3756411 .
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MYCOLOGIA OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
VOL. LIV MAY-JUNE, 1962 No. 3
FUNGI ISOLATED FROM SOUTHERN FOREST TREE NURSERY SOILS
CHARLES S. HODGES 1
Few general surveys for soil fungi have been made in more than one southern state. Abbott (1) made a survey of the microbiological activi- ties of some Louisiana soils while Miller et al. (6) made a survey of fungi in cultivated and forest soils of Georgia. Other workers have isolated fungi from the soil in several southern states, but for the most part their isolations constituted a study on specialized groups of fungi (2, 3) or ecological studies (5, 7, 8, 10).
In the period from 1956 to 1961, forest tree nurseries in 10 southern states were visited during a study of root rots of nursery stock. Soil samples were assayed for fungi from most of these nurseries.
Although the soil samples were taken entirely in forest tree nurseries, they may be considered representative of the cultivated soils in the South. In general, the soils are relatively fertile and moderately low in organic matter (0.5-3.0%). Soil types range from sands and sandy loams of the coastal plain, clay loams in the piedmont, to silt and clay loams of the mountain valleys. Various grains, grasses and legumes are grown in rotation with seedlings of pine and hardwood species. One difference from agricultural soils is the generally more acid condition of the forest nursery soils, which range in pH from about 5.0 to 6.2.
1 Plant Pathologist, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S.D.A. in cooperation with the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. Much of the work reported here was done while the writer was a graduate student in the Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia. Journal Paper No. 223, College Experiment Station, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
[MYCOLOGIA for March-April, 1962 (54: 117-219) was issued November 6, 1962] 221
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MYCOLOGIA, VOL. 54, 1962
Some attempt was made during this study to evaluate different tech- niques and media in isolating soil fungi, but the major purpose was to determine the relative frequency of the various fungi in the soils of southern forest nurseries.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Soil samples were collected from 30 forest nurseries in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. A minimum of 3 different areas was sampled in each nursery, but in a few nurseries where collections were made for other studies, as many as 65 samples were taken. Each sample consisted of about 10 cores collected with a soil tube from the top 6-8 inches of soil. These cores were composited and subsamples were removed for assay. Samples which had to be trans- ported over a long distance were stored in a portable refrigerator. Sam- ples collected at points more than two days' travel from the laboratory were processed in a field laboratory.
Most determinations were made using several variations of the dilu- tion plate technique. Usually 100 g of soil were placed in 200 ml sterile water and agitated for 30 minutes on a Burrill "wrist-action" shaker. A 1:10 dilution was then made of the suspension and 1 ml of the final dilution dispersed in 100 ml of medium cooled to approximately 43° C. The medium suspension was shaken and approximately equal portions were poured into 5 petri dishes.
At the beginning of the study, several media were screened to deter- mine which would support the greatest variety of fungi. The media tested included Rose Bengal-streptomycin, water agar, potato-dextrose, Czapek, dextrose-peptone, lima bean, oat-meal, and soil extract agar. The most commonly occurring fungi grew well on all the media used. Although some of the less commonly isolated species appeared to be favored by certain media, it was not possible with the number of samples assayed to determine if the dilution was so great that these species ap- peared on certain media only by chance. Since the Rose Bengal-strepto- mycin medium considerably retarded colony growth and suppressed de- velopment of bacteria and actinomycetes, this medium was used most extensively.
In addition to the dilution plate technique, the soil plate method of Warcup (9) was also used. Rose Bengal-streptomycin was also the superior medium for this technique. A variation of this method was also used in which the soil was sprinkled on the surface of hardened media
222
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HODGES: SOIL FUNGI
instead of dispersing it in the medium. For the latter technique, water agar was more useful than Rose Bengal-streptomycin. Many of the species listed as rare in TABLE I were isolated only by this technique.
After a suitable incubation period (3-15 days) all fungi not readily determinable on the original plates were transferred to tubes. Czapek's agar was used for identification of Penicillium, Aspergillus and related species, while potato-dextrose agar was used for the remainder.
RESULTS
One hundred and twenty-one species representing 45 genera were isolated (TABLE I). The majority, 33 genera and 94 species, belonged to the Fungi Imperfecti. Species of Aspergillus and Penicillium made up 50 per cent of the total number of Fungi Imperfecti isolated. The remaining 31 genera were each represented by only one or a few species. Eleven species of Ascomycetes belonging to 4 genera (not including 1 ascosporic species of Aspergillus and 2 ascosporic species of Penicillium) and 16 species of Phycomycetes belonging to 8 genera comprised the remainder of the fungi isolated.
Penicillium janthinellum was the most common fungus isolated dur- ing the survey. It was found in high populations at every nursery sam- pled and only rarely was it absent from an individual soil sample. Tri- choderma viride was also present in all nursery soils assayed, but usually in smaller numbers than P. janthinellum. Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus flavus were the only other species found in the soils from all nurseries, but with few exceptions, they were found in low popula- tions. A. fumigatus was isolated frequently from every state but was absent in several nurseries and found in high numbers only in Georgia and Texas.
Four fungi, P. restricturn, P. funiculosum, Gliocladium catenulatum, and Rhizopus arrhizus, were each found in soils from every state except Oklahoma. P. restrictum was very abundant in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana soils and in many samples it was more abundant than P. jan- were each found in soils from all states except Alabama and Florida. It is probable that with further sampling, these fungi would be found in soils from all southern states.
With the exception of G. catenulatum and T. terricola, the fungi listed above are common components of the soil microflora in most sections of the United States and in many parts of the world. G. catenulatum has been reported only from Utah in the United States and from Canada and the Canal Zone (4). T. terricola was reported previously from Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas in the United States and from China (4).
223
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TABLE I
RELATIVE FREQUENCY OF FUNGI ISOLATED FROM SOUTHERN FOREST TREE NURSERY SOILS
Name of fungus
Absidia butleri Lendn. Absidia spinosa Lendn. Alternaria tenuis Nees ex Fr. Aspergillus candidus Lk. Aspergillus carneus (v. Tiegh.) Bloch. Aspergillus flavipes (Bainier & Sart.)
Thom & Church Aspergillus flavus Lk. ex Fr. Aspergillus fumigatus Fres. Aspergillus janus Raper & Thom Aspergillus niger v. Tiegh. Aspergillus rugulosus Thom & Raper Aspergillus suphureus (Fres.) Thom
& Church Aspergillus sydowi (Bainier & Sart.)
Thom & Church Aspergillus terreus Thom Aspergillus unguis (Emile-Weil &
Gaudin) Thom & Raper Aspergillus ustus (Bainier) Thom &
Church Aspergillus versicolor (Vuill.)
Tiraboschi Calcarisporium sp. Cephalosporium acremonium Cda. Cephalosporium sp. Chaetomium globosum Kunze ex Fr. Chaetomium indicum Cda. Chaetomium olivaceum Cooke & Ellis Chaetomium seminudum Ames Chaetomium spirale Zopf Chaetomium sp. Chaetomium sp. Chaetomium sp. Chaetomella raphigera Swift Chloridium apiculatum Miller
Ark. Fla. (1, 4) (4, 15)
+
+ ++
++
+
++
++
++ ++
+
Ga. (5, 109)
+ + +
+ +++ + +
+
+
++ + +
+
+ +
+ +
La. (3, 13)
+
+
+
+ +
+
+
+
Miss. (4, 17)
+
+
++
+++
++
+
+
+
+ +
Okla. Tex. S. C. (1, 3) (5, 21) (4. 32)
+
++
++
+
+
± +
++
+
+
+ g o 7- ++ r 0
>
+
0
"I kO
+ +
Ala. (1, 6)*
+ ++
+
+ +(
N. C. (3, 20)
+
+
+
* = Numbers in parentheses indicate number of nurseries and number of samples respectively. + = less than 1 % of total colonies.
+ + = 1.0-3.9% of total colonies. ++ + -= 4.0-10% of total colonies.
+ + + + = More than 10% of total colonies.
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TABLE I.- (Continued)
Name of fungus
Cladosporium herbarum Lk. & Fr. Coniothyrium fuckelii Sacc. Cunninghamella echinulata (Matr.)
Thaxt. Cunninghamella elegans Lendn. Curvularia geniculata (Tracy &
Earle) Boed. Curvularia intermedia Boed. Curvularia lunata (Wakk.) Boed. Curvularia maculans (Bancroft)
Boed. Epicoccum nigrum Lk. Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon emend.
Snyd. & Hans. Fusarium oxysporum Schl. emend.
Snyd. & Hans. Fusarium solani (Mart.) Appel & Wr.
emend. Snyd. & Hans. Fusarium tricinctum (Cda.) Sacc.
emend. Snyd. & Hans. Fusidium terricola Miller Geotrichum candidum Lk. Gliocladium catenulatum Gilman &
Abbott Gliocladium deliquescens Sopp Gliocladium fimbriatum Gilman &
Abbott Gliocladium flavo-fuscum Miller Gliocladium roseum (Lk. ex Fr.)
Bainier Gliocladium virens Miller Gonytrichum macrocladium (Sacc.)
Hughes Helminthosporium anomalum Gilman
& Abbott Masoniella grisea (Smith) Smith Memnoniella echinata (Riv.) Galloway Metarrhizium ansopliae (Metsch.)
Sorok. Monotospora sp. Mortierella bainieri Cost. Mortierella isabellina Oud.
Ala. (1, 6)*
++
+
++
+ ++
±
++
+
Ark. (1, 4)
+
+
+
+ ++
+
+
Fla. (4, 15)
+++ +
++
++
++
++
++
+
++
Ga. (5, 109)
+ +
+
+
+
+
++
+
+
+
+
+ +
+ +
++ +
+ ++ +
La. (3, 13)
++ +
+
+
++
+
+
++ ++
+
±
+
Miss. (4, 17)
++
+
+
±
+
+
+
++ +
+
+
++
N. C. (3, 20)
+ +
+
+
+
Okla. (1, 3)
+
Tex. (5, 21)
++
+
++++ +++
+
+
++
+
S. C. (4, 32)
+
+
+ + +
I + 51
cZ U) t- r1
++ C
+
t-)
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TABLE I.-(Continued)
Name of fungus
Mortierella ramanniana (Moell.) Linnemann
Mortierella vinacea Dixon-Stewart Mucor fragilis Bainier Mucor jansseni Lendn. Mucor subtilissimus Oud. Mucor sp. Myrothecium roridum Tode ex Fr. Myrothecium verrucaria (Alb. &
Schw.) Ditm. & Fr. Nectria sp. Neocosmospora vasinfecta E. F. Smith Nigrospora sphaerica (Sacc.) Mason Paecilomyces carneus (Duche & Heim)
Brown & Smith Paecilomyces marquandii (Massee)
Hughes Paecilomyces varioti Bainier Penicillium adametzi Zaleski Penicillium chrysogenum Thom Penicillium citrinum Thom Penicillium claviforme Bainier Penicillium corylophilum Dierckx Penicillium cyclopium Westling Penicillium decumbens Thom Penicillium frequentans Westling Penicillium funiculosum Thom Penicillium herquei Bainier &
Sartory Penicillium janthinellum Biourge Penicillium javanicum van Beyma Penicillium jenseni Zaleski Penicillium lanosum Westling Penicillium lilacinum Thom Penicillium multicolor Grig. Man. &
Porad. Penicillium nigricans (Bainier)
Thom Penicillium notatum Westling Penicillium oxalicum Currie & Thom Penicillium palidum Smith
Ala. (1, 6)*
+
Ark. (1, 4)
+
+
+
++
Fla. (4, 15)
++ ++
+
+
+
q-
+
+
++ ++
++ +
Ga. (5, 109)
+ +
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ +++ ++ + +
+
+
+
La. (3, 13)
+
±
+
+
+ +
+
++
Miss. (4, 17)
+
+
+ +
++ ++ +
+
+
N. C. (3, 20)
Okla. (1, 3)
Tex. S. C. (5, 21) (4, 32)
+
+
++
+
+
-++ ++
+t
++$
+
++$-
0 0 0
0
++++
++++ ++
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TABLE I.--(Continued)
Name of fungus
Penicillium purpurogenum Stoll Penicillium raistrickii Smith Penicillium restrictum Gilman &
Abbott Penicillium rubrum Stoll Penicillium simplicissimum (Oud.)
Thom Penicillium steckii Zaleski Penicillium thomii Maire Penicillium turbatum Westling Penicillium variabile Sopp Penicillium vermiculatum Dang. Penicillium verruculosum Peyronel Penicillium waksmani Zaleski Penicillium sp. Pestalotia funerea Desm. Phoma spp. Pullularia pullulans (d. By.)
Berkhout Rhizopus arrhizus Fischer Saksenaea vasiformis Saksena Sclerotium bataticola Taub. Speggazinia ornata Sacc. Stachybotrys atra Cda. Stemphylium sp. Stysanus medius Sacc. Syncephalastrum racemosum (Cohn)
Schroet. Thielavia terricola (Gilman & Abbott)
Emmons Trichoderma viride Pers. ex Fr. Zygorhynchus moelleri Vuill.
Ala. Ark. Fla. (1, 6)* (1, 4) (4, 15)
±-F+A- + +
H-
H-
-F A-H- A-
H-H-
H-
A-
-FH-
Ga. (5, 109)
+
+
+ ++
++
+
+
-F A- A-H- H-H-H-H- H--F-F H- H-H- -FH-H-
La. (3, 13)
++
+
Miss. . NC. Okla. (4, 17) (3, 20) (1, 3)
+
+ -F A- -F -F-F
H-A--F H-H- H-H- A- H- -F -F-F-F -F
-F A- -FA- -F-F -F ± + -F -F -F
-F A-
H- -F
A- H- -F-Fl- -FH- -FH- -F-F-F
-F H-
-F
±
+
± ±
H-+-F ±
± -F-F
Tex. S. C. (5, 21) (4, 32)
+
H++-+ ++
A-H- A- A- H--
-
LA
0 +
+ C ++ ! H1 -FH z
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MYCOLOGIA, VOL. 54, 1962
The largest number of species was isolated from Georgia, where the largest number of soil samples was collected. Most of the species listed in TABLE I from Georgia were also found by Miller et al. (6). How- ever, only a small number of these species has been recorded from other southern states.
Conspicuous by their absence from the list are such fungi as Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and Phytophthora. These fungi are seldom the cause of disease in most southern forest tree nurseries. The application of large amounts of sawdust to many nursery soils may influence the activity of these fungi. In addition, Pythium and Phytophthora are usually iso- lated only by using specialized trapping techniques not attempted in this study.
Most of the fungi isolated during this study have been reported from the soil previously. Several species, however, are reported from the soil for the first time or are new records for the United States. Curvularia intermedia and Speggazinia ornata are new records from the soil; while Chaetomium spirale, Gonytrichurm inacrocladium, Paecilomyces carneus, and Saksenaea vasiformis are new records from soil in the United States. S. vasiformis, an unusual phycomycete, is not believed to have been found in the United States previously.
SUM MARY
Soil samples were collected from 30 forest nurseries in 10 southern states and assayed for fungi. A total of 121 species representing 45 genera were isolated. These included 16 Phycomycetes, 11 Ascomycetes and 94 Fungi Imperfecti. Species of Aspergillus and Penicillium made up almost 50 per cent of the fungi isolated. P. janthinellumr, P. restric- turn, P. fumiciulosum, A. fumigatus, and A. flavus were encountered most commonly. Several fungi were found that had not been previously reported from the soil or were new to the United States.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The writer wishes to thank Dr. C. R. Benjamin for assistance in determining several species of Penicillium, Dr. C. W. Hesseltine in determining several species of the Mucorales and Dr. J. H. Miller (de- ceased) for guidance during most of this study.
U. S. FOREST SERVICE C/O DEPARTMENT OF PLANT PATHOLOGY
NORTH CAROLINA STATE COLLEGE
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
228
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HODGES: SOIL FUNGI 229
LITERATURE CITED
1. Abbott, E. V. 1926. A survey of the microbiological activities in some Louisi- ana soils: A preliminary survey. La. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 194, 25 p.
2. Campbell, W. A. 1951. The occurrence of Phytophthora cinnamnomi in the soil under pine stands of the Southeast. Phytopathology 41: 742-746.
3. Christenberry, G. A. 1940. A taxonomic study of the Mucorales in the Southeastern United States. Jour. Elisha Mitchell Soc. 56: 333-366.
4. Gilman, J. C. Manual of soil fungi. Ed. 2. Iowa State College Press. Ames, Iowa. 450 p.
5. McElroy, Celia, W. H. Jones, and F. A. Rinehart. 1954. An investigation of the soil microflora of two grassland plots. Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. 33: 163-168.
6. Miller, J. H., J. E. Giddens, and A. A. Foster. 1957 [1958]. A survey of the fungi of forest and cultivated soils of Georgia. Mycologia 49: 779-808.
7. Morrow, M. B. 1931. Correlation between plant communities and the reac- tion and microflora of the soil in south central Texas. Ecology 12: 497-507.
8. Todd, Ramona. 1932. Phycomycetes, Ascomycetes, and Fungi Imperfecti in Oklahoma soil. Science 76: 464.
9. Warcup, J. H. 1950. The soil plate method for isolation of fungi from the soil. Nature 166: 117.
10. Werkenthin, F. C. 1916. Fungus flora of Texas soils. Phytopathology 6: 241-253.
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