Pulse Magazine - Peabody Corp. Jul/Aug 1996 issue
Peabody Western - in partnership with the Navajo Forestry Nursery in Fort Defiance, AZ - is pioneering a program to establish an association of pinon pine and beneficial fungi in the nursery. The fungi promotes tree development and provides a natural survival mechanism.
Launched in 1995, the pinon inoculation program involves collecting pinon seeds from Black Mesa and growing them under controlled conditions in the nursery's greenhouse. Then beneficial mycorrhizal fungi - much like mushrooms - are harvested from the field, ground up and mixed with distilled water to create a spore solution. This is applied to the pinons once during irrigation. This procedure allows them to successfully establish the fungi early on, rather than relying on natural processes in the field which can be much slower.
The process was developed by A.K. Arbab, a plant pathologist who is manager of the Navajo Forestry Nursery.
These mycorrhizal fungi on the roots establish a symbiotic relationship with the pinon, in which the tree benefits from increased moisture uptake, thus enhancing nutrient absorption and disease prevention, and improving vigor. The fungi gain a place to live and an energy source. Similar relationships are seen with many other species: they are almost universal in arid climate species.
Approximately 8000 pinon pines have received the treatment and will be planted during 1996, with an additional 15,000 treated in 1996 and 1997.
Based on the pilot's success, the program will be expanded to include standard inoculation procedures for Utah juniper trees, native shrubs, and other culturally significant plants.