Evaluación de tiempo y la temperatura de almacenamiento en la conservación de Ceratobasidium sp. y su efecto sobre la viabilidad y actividad promotora de la germinación en orquídeas Epidendrum sp.

Abstract

The symbiotic relationships established between orchids and mycorrhizal fungi have been studied and reported by several authors, making clear the important role that these fungi play during the germination process of orchids and therefore their importance in the conservation of this group of plants, it is also necessary to include conservation strategies for mycorrhizal fungi associated with orchids, which allow the development of more comprehensive conservation strategies. In this work we ask ourselves two questions: 1) what is the effect of time and the conservation methods evaluated, on the viability of the fungus Ceratobasidium sp. and 2) what is the effect of fungal conservation treatments on their ability to promote symbiotic germination in Epidendrum sp. The results of the tests established to answer these questions showed the viability of the fungus in all the conservation treatments for a period of up to 33 months and showed a significant effect between the fungus preserved in the different treatments and the "fresh fungus" (previously exposed to the symbiosis and recently isolated from the plant), the latter being the one that stood out with the highest germination percentages recorded in seeds of Epidendrum sp. This work presents the efficiency of the conservation method of Ceratobasidium sp. by encapsulation in alginate beads, and the importance of the biotic and abiotic interactions of the fungus to improve the efficiency in the symbiotic germination of Epidendrum sp.