• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.40-50
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• 2022

The Périgord black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is an edible fungus and among the most expensive foods worldwide. It is the basis of a multimillion-dollar bio-business. Truffle farming does not exist in Mexico, and no formal studies have been conducted on its culture. This report describes the mycorrhizal synthesis (i.e., artificial union of fungus with host) of T. melanosporum with oak species native to Mexico (Quercus polymorpha, Q. fusiformis, and Q. canbyi). The mycorrhizal association was successful in Q. polymorpha and Q. fusiformis, as confirmed morphologically and using T. melanosporum molecular primers (ITSML/ITS4LNG). The effect of the ectomycorrhizal fungus on host growth (stem diameter) was statistically significant. Illustrations of the study are presented.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.275-280
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• 2012

To understand the effect of aerosols on the growth and physiological conditions of trees in forests, it is important to know the state of aerosols that are deposited on the surface of the leaves or needles. In this study, we developed methods of visualization of submicron-sized aerosols that were artificially deposited from the gas-phase or liquid phase onto tree leaves or needles in trees. Firstly, we used field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) to observe black carbon (BC) particles that were artificially sprayed onto the leaves or needles. The distribution of BC particles deposited on the leaves and needles were distinguished based on the size and morphological features of the particles. The distribution and agglomerates size of BC particles differed between two spraying methods of BC particles employed. Secondly, we tried to visualize gold (Au) particles that were artificially sprayed onto the leaves using energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) coupled to FE-SEM. We detected the Au particles based on the characteristic X-ray spectrum, which was secondarily generated from the Au particles. In contrast to the case of BC particles, the Au particles did not form agglomerates and were uniformly distributed on the leaf surfaces. The present results show that our methods provide useful information of adsorption and/or behavior of fine particles at the submicron level on the surface of the leaves.