Ectomycorrhizae Reduce Damage to Russian Larch by Otiorhyncus Larvae

The effect of ectomycorrhizae on damage caused by Otiorhyncus larvae and on plant growth was evaluated in a 3-yr field experiment. Russian larch seedlings, inoculated with ectomycorrhizal fungi, were compared with uninoculated plants. Assessment of larval damage at the end of the first growing season showed a significant effect of treatment on damage intensity, but not on damage incidence: 11.2% of uninoculated seedlings were severely damaged, but only 3.5% of inoculated plants. There was a significant effect of treatment on plant mortality. The accumulated mortality at the end of the third growing season was 34.5% for uninoculated plants, but 17.6% for inoculated plants. The height increment of inoculated plants (4.5 cm) was significantly greater than that of uninoculated plants (2.7 cm) in the first growing season. No difference in height increment between treatments was observed during the second and third growing seasons.