Morphological and molecular development of Terfezia claveryi ectendomycorrhizae exhibits three well-defined stages.

The normal development of mycorrhizal symbiosis is a dynamic process, requiring elaborately regulated interactions between plant roots and compatible fungi, mandatory for both partners´ survival. In the present study, we further elucidated the mycorrhizal development of the desert truffles Terfezia claveryi with the host plant Helianthemum almeriense as an ectendomycorrhizal symbiosis model under greenhouse conditions. To investigate this, we evaluated the morphology of mycorrhizal colonization, concomitantly with the dynamic expression of selected marker genes (6 fungal and 11 plant genes) measured every week until mycorrhiza maturation (three months).

Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas mandelii Strain 29, Isolated from the Desert Truffle Terfezia claveryi.

Here, we report the genome sequence of the mycorrhizal helper bacterium (MHB) Pseudomonas mandelii strain 29. This is the genome of an MHB associated with ascocarps of the desert truffle Terfezia claveryi. The genome is complete and consists of 6,302,122 bp and 5,812 predicted protein-coding sequences.

Elevated atmospheric CO modifies responses to water-stress and flowering of Mediterranean desert truffle mycorrhizal shrubs.

Predicted increases in atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO ) coupled with increased temperatures and drought are expected to strongly influence the development of most of the plant species in the world, especially in areas with high risk of desertification like the Mediterranean basin. Helianthemum almeriense is an ecologically important Mediterranean shrub with an added interest because it serves as the host for the Terfezia claveryi mycorrhizal fungus, which is a desert truffle with increasingly commercial interest. Although both plant and fungi are known to be well adapted to dry conditions, it is still uncertain how the increase in atmospheric CO will influence them.