Morphological Characterization of the In Vitro Mycorrhizae Formed between Four Species () with and -Towards Desert Truffles Production in Acid Soils.

species are obligate symbiotic partners of several xerophytic host plants, mainly belonging to the . Yet, their mycorrhizal associations with members of the genus remain poorly characterized and their potential application in desert truffle cultivation remains unexplored. This work provides the first anatomic descriptions of the formed in vitro by four species (i.e., ; ; , ) with and , two of the most widespread and common species in acidic soils. All the tested associations resulted in the formation of ectomycorrhizae with well-developed Hartig net, but with a varying degree of mantle development. Our results also demonstrate that all the experimented combinations expressed high mycorrhization rates. Moreover, the present work shows that and are suitable plant hosts for species, including some that are, to date, known to be only associated with annual herbs or tree species. This new evidence might aid in broadening the number of situations whereby spp. can be cultivated in acid soils.