Fungal Symbiont and Cultivation Test of Gastrodia elata Blume (Orchidaceae)

Abstract

Gastrodia elata tubers were collected at eleven sites throughout Honshu, Japan. Fungal symbionts were identified with mating test. Eight isolates were identified as Armillaria gallica, two as A. nabsnona and one as A. cepistipes. Of these, A. gallica was the dominant species. A. nabsnona and A. cepistipes are reported here as symbionts of Gastrodia elata for the first time. One strain of the symbiont, A. gallica was used for cultivation test. After 32 months cultivation, G. elata tubers had increased from 430 g to 2560 g in weight, and from 18 to 236 in number. Significant differences in the amount of ash, diluted ethanol extract and drying loss were not observed between the cultivated tubers and commercial ones.