Frankia Nodulation, Mycorrhization and Interactions Between Frankia and Mycorrhizal Fungi in Casuarina Plants
The genus Casuarina, with approximately 18 species growing naturally in Australia and islands of the Pacific, belongs to the family Casuarinaceae. Casuarina has multi-purpose applications in agroforestry, silviculture, land reclamation and soil fertility
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Introduction
Casuarina, literally “Kasuari” from the Malay word for the “cassowary” bird, bears a resemblance of the plant’s drooping foliage to the bird’s feather (Boland et al. 1994). Casuarina has probably evolved since the Tertiary times and looks more like a wispy conifer, since its needle-like foliage is similar in shape to a coniferous needle, and its vegetative and floral parts show considerable scleromorphy (Midgley et al. 1983; Subba-Rao and Rodriguez-Barrueco 1995; Pinyopusarerk et al. 1996). The foliage of Casuarina plants is not a true leaf, called cladode or cladophyll, but functions like a green leaf. Most Casuarina species typically regenerate from their fine seeds, about 400,000–600,000/kg. Seeds are readily extracted from air-dried fruits and germination is epigeal on moist, bare soil. In addition, Casuarina equisetifolia can be propagated from cuttings, C. glauca is able to spread clonally from root suckers, and C. junghuhniana is fire-tolerant and is able to sprout rapidly after fire. Nodulation does not normally form when planted outside the native habitats unless the indigenous Frankia is introduced with the Casuarina seedlings (Simonet et al. 1999). Some species, such as the native New Guinea’s C. oligodon, have been planted for more than 3,000 years (Midgley et al. 1983; Subba-Rao and RodriguezBarrueco 1995; Pinyopusarerk et al. 1996). Casuarina is currently classified as one of the four genera (Allocasuarina, Casuarina, Ceuthostoma, and Gymnostoma) in the family Casuarinaceae, native plants grown in Australia and islands of the Pacific. There are approximately 18 species in the genus Casuarina (Table 1). Of them, Casuarina cunninghamiana, C. equisetifolia and C. glauca were introduced and planted worldwide, including in Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, China, Egypt, India, Japan, Kenya, Israel, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Africa, the Philippines, the United States, Thailand, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and
X. H. He School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia e-mail: [email protected]
A. Varma (ed.) Mycorrhiza, © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008
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X.H. He, C. Critchley
Table 1 Casuarina species and their geographic distribution Species scientific name
Common name
Geographic distribution
C. collina Poiss. ex Sebert and Pancher C. cristata Miq. (synonym of C. lepidophloia F.Muell.) C. cristata Miq. ssp. cristata C. cunninghamiana Miq. C. cunninghamiana ssp. cunninghamiana C. cunninghamiana ssp. miodon L.A.S. Johnson C. equisetifolia L.
NA Belah
New Caledonia Eastern Australia
River She-oak
Eastern Australia North and Eastern Australia Eastern Australia Northern Australia
Coast/Beach She-oak
C. equisetifolia ssp. equisetifolia L. C. equisetifolia ssp. incana (Benth.) L.A.S. Johnson C. glauca Sieber ex Spreng. C. grandis L.A.S. Johnson C. junghuhniana Miq. C. junghuhniana ssp. timorensis C. obesa Miq. C. oligodon L.A.S. Johnson C. oligodon ssp. abbreviate L.A.S. Johnson C. oligodon ssp. oligodon L.A.S. Johnson C. orophila L.A.S.
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