Tricholoma matsutake Y1 strain associated with Pinus densiflora shows a gradient of in vitro ectomycorrhizal specificity with Pinaceae and oak hosts

• Tricholoma matsutake was tested for ectomycorrhiza formation with 11 conifer species in vitro.
• T. matsutake formed ectomycorrhizas on some Pinus, Picea and Tsuga species.
• T. matsutake did not form ectomycorrhizas on the other conifers and oak tested.
• T. bakamatsutake formed ectomycorrhizas on the oak host.

Tricholoma matsutake produces commercially valuable yet uncultivable matsutake mushrooms during an ectomycorrhizal association with coniferous trees. In the Far East, most matsutake are harvested in managed Pinus densiflora forests. To determine whether T. matsutake has host plant specificity, we synthesized mycorrhiza in vitro between T. matsutake Y1 that originated from a P. densiflora forest and various Pinaceae and oak hosts. The strain Y1 formed a continuous Hartig net, a sign of ectomycorrhization, in the lateral roots of Pinus sylvestris, Pinus koraiensis, Pinus parviflora var. pentaphylla, Picea glehnii, Picea abies, and Tsuga diversifolia seedlings in vitro, which resembled those formed with the natural host Pinus densiflora. The strain conferred a discontinuous Hartig net with Pinus thunbergii, Picea yezoensis, Abies veitchii, and Larix kaempferi. However, no such development by this strain was observed on the roots of Quercus serrata, unlike T. bakamatsutake B1, a false matsutake that is symbiotic with oak trees. The data suggest that T. matsutake can be associated with diverse conifers but may establish ectomycorrhizal relationships only with specific host plant species.