Mycorrhizal Formation in Corylus avellana Inoculated with Mycelium of Tuber koreanum

The genus Tuber produces hypogeous fruit bodies known as truffles. To cultivate truffles, it is necessary to inoculate fungal strains at the roots of host plants such as oak and hazel. Fungal mycelium inoculation method has the advantage of a low risk of contamination by other ectomycorrhizal species during the inoculation process. Additionally, it does not incur extra costs when securing strains and is genetically manageable. In this study, we aim to report on the formation of ectomycorrhiza (ECM) in Corylus avellana inoculated with mycelium from T. koreanum. We observed formation of ECM after one year, morphological and molecular analysis were performed. Morphological characteristics exhibited typical features of genus Tuber such as monopodial pinnate, and identified using ITS region by BLAST. We confirmed that T. koreanum was infected at C. avellana, and formed ECM. This result will contribute to suggest a new method of inoculation for cultivating native Korean Tuber.