ECM fungi associated with pecan (Carya illinoinensis)

In this research we used 454 pyrosequencing to investigate the diversity of ECM fungal communities colonizing the roots of pecan trees at a regional scale. We sampled ECM roots from 76 pecan trees from 25 orchard sites that were distributed across more than 61,000 km2 in Florida and Georgia. We sampled from orchards that differed in soil types, management practices, and orchard histories to determine the most important factors that influence the diversity and composition of pecan ECM fungal communities.