Orchids live with mycorrhizal fungi in mutualism. This symbiotic relationship plays an essential role in the overall life cycle of orchids from germination, growth, settlement, and reproduction. Among the 1000 species of the orchid, the Korean lady’s slipper, Cypripedium japonicum, is known as an endangered species. Currently, only five natural habitats of the Korean lady’s slipper remain in South Korea, and the population of Korean lady’s slipper in their natural habitat is not increasing. To prevent extinction, this study was designed to understand the fungal community interacting in the rhizosphere of the Korean lady’s slipper living in the native and artificial habitats. In-depth analyses were performed to discover the vital mycorrhizal fungi contributing to habitat expansion and cultivation of the endangered orchid species. Our results suggested that Lycoperdon nigrescens contributed most to the increase in natural habitats and Russula violeipes as a characteristic of successful cultivation. And the fungi that helped L. nigrescens and R. violeipes to fit into the rhizosphere community in Korean lady’s slipper native place were Paraboeremia selaginellae and Metarhizium anisopliae, respectively. The findings will contribute to restoring and maintaining the endangered orchid population in natural habitats.

Strawberries are a popular economic crop, and one of the major plantations and exporting countries is Korea in the world. The Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) is a soil-borne pathogen with genetic diversity, resulting in wilt disease in various crops. In Korea, strawberries wilt disease was first reported in the 1980s due to the infection of FOSC, causing significant economic damage every year. The causal agent, F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae, is a soil-borne pathogen with a characteristic of FOSC that is difficult to control chemically and mutates easily. This study obtained genetic polymorphism information that was based on AFLP, of F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae 91 strains, which were isolated from strawberry cultivation sites in Gyeongsangnam-do and Chungcheongnam-do, and compared strains information, which was the isolated location, host variety, response to chemical fungicide, and antagonistic bacteria, and mycelium phenotype. As a result, AFLP phylogeny found that two groups were mainly present, and group B was present at a high frequency in Gyeongsangnam-do. Group B proved less sensitive to tebuconazole than group A through Student’s t-test. In addition, the fractions pattern of AFLP was calculated by comparing the strain information using PCA and PERMANOVA, and the main criteria were separated localization and strawberry varieties (PERMANOVA; p < 0.05). And tebuconazole was different with weak confidence (PERMANOVA; p < 0.10). This study suggests that the F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae should be continuously monitored and managed, including group B, which is less chemically effective.

Endangered native plant habitats and populations are rapidly disappearing because of climate and environmental changes. As a representative, the abundance of the first-class endangered wild plant, Cypripedium japonicum, has been rapidly decreasing in Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution of rhizosphere and endophytic fungi on C. japonicum in its native habitat. A total of 440 rhizosphere and 79 endosphere fungi isolates were isolated and identified on the basis of their molecular characteristics. Sixty-five genera and 119 fungi species were identified in this study. The genus Trichoderma showed the highest abundance among both rhizosphere and endosphere fungi. Mortierella, Hypocrea, and Penicillium spp. were also relatively dominant species on C. japonicum. The community structures of rhizosphere and endosphere fungi were similar, but endosphere fungi showed greater diversity.
Climate ; Ecosystem ; Fungi* ; Hypocrea ; Korea ; Mortierella ; Penicillium ; Plants* ; Rhizosphere* ; Trichoderma

Plants pollination are conducted through various pollinators such as wind, animals, and insects. Recently, the necessity for artificial pollination is drawing attention as the proportion of natural pollinators involved is decreasing over the years. Likewise, the trade in pollen for artificial pollination is also increasing worldwide. Through these imported pollens, many unknown microorganisms can flow from foreign countries. Among them, spores of various fungi present in the particles of pollen can be dispersed throughout the orchard. Therefore, in this study, the composition of fungal communities in imported pollen was revealed, and potential ecological characteristics of the fungi were investigated in four types of imported pollen. Top 10 operational taxonomic unit (OTU) of fungi were ranked among the following groups: Alternaria sp., Cladosporium sp., and Didymella glomerata which belong to many pathogenic species. Through FUNGuild analysis, the proportion of OTUs, which is assumed to be potentially plant pathogens, was higher than 50%, except for apple pollen in 2018. Based on this study of fungal structure, this information can suggest the direction of the pollen quarantine process and contribute to fungal biology in pollen

Plants pollination are conducted through various pollinators such as wind, animals, and insects. Recently, the necessity for artificial pollination is drawing attention as the proportion of natural pollinators involved is decreasing over the years. Likewise, the trade in pollen for artificial pollination is also increasing worldwide. Through these imported pollens, many unknown microorganisms can flow from foreign countries. Among them, spores of various fungi present in the particles of pollen can be dispersed throughout the orchard. Therefore, in this study, the composition of fungal communities in imported pollen was revealed, and potential ecological characteristics of the fungi were investigated in four types of imported pollen. Top 10 operational taxonomic unit (OTU) of fungi were ranked among the following groups: Alternaria sp., Cladosporium sp., and Didymella glomerata which belong to many pathogenic species. Through FUNGuild analysis, the proportion of OTUs, which is assumed to be potentially plant pathogens, was higher than 50%, except for apple pollen in 2018. Based on this study of fungal structure, this information can suggest the direction of the pollen quarantine process and contribute to fungal biology in pollen