Fastest growing seed...

[Baxter]

Im doing a research and stats project soon but not sure whether to use either beech or birch seeds with Ectomychorrizae.

I think Birch seeds will be faster growing as its a pioneer species?

 

 

Nick

[RobArb]

Can you not use both and compare results?

 

Sent from Rob's GalaxySII

[Fungus]

Im doing a research and stats project soon but not sure whether to use either beech or birch seeds with Ectomychorrizae. I think Birch seeds will be faster growing as its a pioneer species?

 

Nick,

Not necessarily, the rootlets of birch seeds "loaded" with a minimum of energy reserve associate with both endomycorrhizae and pioneer ectomycorrhizae, such as Laccaria laccata, to "quick start" after germinating, while beech seeds, with an energy reserve for 2 years, "slow starting" after geminating, only associate with pioneer ectomycorrhizal symbionts, of which they prefer Laccaria amethystina, a species Betula is not capable of associating with, over L. laccata.

So you can't use L. laccata for the experiment with both tree species, as beech can't fully profit from the association of its rootlets with L. laccaria and Betula also needs endomycorrhizal microfungi to develop after germinating.