Diversity of bacteria isolated from fairy ring of Tricholoma matsutake growing in Yangdok, DPR Korea

We investigated bacterial diversity in Tricholoma matsutake shiro and isolated the beneficial bacteria that inhabited matsutake shiro for using it in cultivation of the pine mushroom. The bacterial strain, the growth promoting bacterium of matsutake, was isolated using a culture-dependent method from the shiro. The strain was characterized by microscopic and metabolic techniques and identified by sequencing of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments as Micrococcus luteus. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) specific primer method was used to confirm the presence of matsutake in soil samples. Total cell numbers in January and March (up to 8-12x10(6) cells g(dry soil)(-1)) in the shiro were lower than those in June and September (15-18x10(6) cells g(dry soil)(-1)). The bacterial population was 200-300 folds lower in the shiro than those in the non-shiro sample. The total cell number was 8-18x10(6) cells g(dry soil)(-1), the culturable bacteria count being 1.0-2.5x10(5) CFU g(dry soil)(-1), in the shiro. The results showed that matsutake coexisted with different bacteria such as those belonging to the genera Bacillus, Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Micrococcus and Agrobacterium in shiro. Interestingly, the genera Streptococcus, Arthrobacter, Staphylococcus and Flavobacterium were found in non-shiro, but not in the shiro.