Ectomycorrhization of Tricholoma matsutake with Abies veitchii and Tsuga diversifolia in the subalpine forests of Japan

• Basidiomata of Tricholoma matsutake were sampled in the subalpine forests of Honshu Island, Japan.
• Ectomycorrhization of T. matsutake with Abies veitchii and Tsuga diversifolia in nature were confirmed.
• T. matsutake cultures on MNC agar were established from mycorrhizal root tips on both conifers.
• Ectomycorrhizal structure between T. matsutake and A. veitchii was successfully synthesized in vitro.
• This is the first report of T. matsutake ectomycorrhization with Abies and Tsuga, and their morphological descriptions.

Tricholoma matsutake is one of the most highly valued ectomycorrhizal mushrooms, primarily associated with conifers. Here, we examined the association of T. matsutake with hemlock and fir species native to the subalpine forests of Japan. Basidiomata of T. matsutake were harvested from the forests of Honshu Island, Japan, along with two soil samples directly beneath the basidiomata; ectomycorrhizal root tips were also collected, and used for fungal isolation and molecular analyses. Mycorrhizal fungi were isolated from the roots of Abies veitchii (Veitch's fir) and Tsuga diversifolia (northern Japanese hemlock). These fungi were identified as T. matsutake based upon their production of whitish mycelial colonies on nutrient agar media, and confirmed using molecular analyses; the ectomycorrhizal association between T. matsutake and A. veitchii was also confirmed by mycorrhizal synthesis in vitro. This work represents the first description of T. matsutake ectomycorrhizations with Abies and Tsuga species, as well as a detailed morphological description of these associations.