orchid mycorrhiza

[knisa]

Hi, I am interested in the study of orchid mycorrhiza. However, I don't have much knowledge especially on the identification of fungi. Anyone here has any experience working in this field?

[thefish1337]

I would suggest starting here:

Google Scholar

sometimes there is a bit of a learning curve to understanding the lingo and the concepts in a specific field of scientific work. keep pushing even if you don't understand everything and the more you read the more you'll become familiar with the general works of the field and the papers will become easier to read.

[piti]

Hi knisa, I'm actually working on orchid mycorrhiza in Lepanthes. What would you like to know?

[SG in CR]

I'd be interested as well in any info that people have as to how specific orchids are in which fungi they need for germination. Do they maintain mycorrhizal fungus in their roots later in life when they are already blooming and no longer dependent on the fungus?
I've been playing around with germinating orchids out in the open on substrates that I've attempted to inoculate with a liquid made from ground up orchid roots. For some species this seems to have worked out well, but not so much for others. So I wonder if the fungi that have established themselves are the wrong ones for the orchids that don't seem to germinate for me.
Also, has anyone ever found that a species of orchid can grow differently depending on which symbiotic fungus it partners with? I ask because I've seen Encyclia cordigera grow so differently in the same patch of woods that I thought it was a different species till I seen them bloom. I was thinking maybe the orchid could grow better if it was partnered with a fungus that did a better job of providing the minerals is was lacking.

[Ray]

The species that are compatible with orchids for germinating the seeds is VERY specific, but general treatments of beneficial microbes can still associate with the plants for their benefits.

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