Introduction:

Ectomycorrhiza and mycorrhiza helper bacteria are essential to the nutritional recycling of forest ecosystems.

Objective:

Growth, photosynthetic rate, chlorophylls, carotenes, root colonization and N, P and K contents were evaluated in Pinus montezumae plants inoculated with the edible ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma mesophaeum (Hm), alone and in combination with the bacteria Cohnella sp. (C) or Azospirillum brasilense (Ab).

Results and discussion:

Plants inoculated only with the fungus or coinoculated with the fungus and the bacteria showed better physiological quality than the uninoculated plants and those inoculated exclusively with the bacteria, mainly in terms of growth, photosynthesis and nutrient content. Hm inoculation, alone or in combination with the bacteria, increased the chlorophyll a, b, and total concentrations. Bacterial inoculation increased the carotene concentration, while the fungus alone had no effect. There was synergism in the plants inoculated with Hm + Ab, which was reflected in shoot and total N contents, compared to plants inoculated with Hm or Ab separately. Ectomycorrhizal colonization ranged from 69 to 76 % in inoculated treatments.

Conclusion:

There is biotechnological potential for coinoculation with edible ectomycorrhizal fungi and mycorrhiza helper bacteria in P. montezumae.