Turning an invasive hardwood into an asset: Inoculating Ligustrum lucidum logs with a medicinal mushroom, Trametes versicolor, accelerates wood decomposition under field conditions

Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum W. T. Aiton) is a highly aggressive tree that has become globally invasive in a wide range of habitats and can quickly form dense thickets, shading and outcompeting native vegetation. Slowly decomposing slash following removal of dense infestations can create additional management challenges, including fire risk concerns, which curtailed planned invasive plant removal projects on certain tracts within the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve near Austin, TX. This prompted a pilot study to explore whether wood-decaying fungi could be used to hasten the recycling of L. lucidum logs back into the forest ecosystem. We inoculated 25 freshly cut L. lucidum logs with Trametes versicolor (Fr.) Pilat at two study sites and monitored the inoculated logs and 5 untreated control logs over a 3-yr period (February 2015 to March 2018). We found that inoculation significantly accelerated wood decay. By the end of our study, 100% of logs with >3 inoculation points were in advanced stages of decay, while only one of the control logs showed noticeable signs of decay. Inoculating logs in the field was easy and suitable for novices, requiring little or no previous experience to achieve successful results. An added benefit of using T. versicolor is its medicinal properties and potential for bioremediation. We have continued to inoculate logs with comparable success and are integrating them into forest restoration projects. Applied on a larger scale, these wood-decaying fungi have the potential to transform nonnative deadwood from a threat to an asset.

Effect of Exogenous Salicylic Acid on the Physiological and Biochemical Processes of Ligustrum lucidum during Natural Cold Acclimation

The evergreen Ligustrum lucidum (glossy privet) suffers from freezing injury in northern China, where there are short growing seasons and early fall frost events. To investigate the influence of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) application on the natural cold acclimation of glossy privet, physiological and biochemical changes in glossy privet seedlings subjected to SA treatments at four concentrations (0, 150, 250, and 350 mg·L−1) were evaluated from Sept. to Dec. 2016. The optimum application concentrations were between 250 and 350 mg·L−1, which led to better freezing tolerance during natural cold acclimation. The improved freezing tolerance under exogenous SA application was associated with the accumulation of chlorophyll, proline, soluble protein, and soluble sugar, and the regulations of gibberellic acid (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA). Salicylic acid treatments started a cascade of steps for advancing the cold acclimation process of glossy privet. We suggest that exogenous SA application may be used on glossy privet grown in northern China.

Landscape Performance and Fruiting of 12 Privet Selections Grown in Northern and Southern Florida

Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) and glossy privet (L. lucidum) have been classified as Category I invasives in Florida. The closely related japanese privet (L. japonicum) has escaped cultivation but is not considered a problem species in Florida. Plant growth, visual quality, flowering, and fruiting were assessed for the resident species (wild-type form) and selected cultivars of chinese privet, glossy privet, and japanese privet planted in northern and southern Florida for 132 weeks. Visual quality varied by site, month, and cultivar. With the exception of ‘Swift Creek’ chinese privet (which did not survive in southern Florida), all cultivars survived the study. All plants fruited in northern Florida. In southern Florida, fruiting was less abundant and not observed for ‘Jack Frost’ japanese privet, ‘Rotundifolium’ japanese privet, ‘Swift Creek’ chinese privet, ‘Suwannee River’ hybrid privet, and glossy privet within 132 weeks. In northern and southern Florida, the growth index rate was lower for ‘Lake Tresca’ japanese privet, ‘Rotundifolium’ japanese privet, and ‘Suwannee River’ hybrid privet than other cultivars. There was a significant interaction between temperature and species for seed germination. Germination in incubators set with a 12-hour photoperiod ranged from 51% to 78.5% for chinese privet, japanese privet, and glossy privet among temperatures, with the exception of glossy privet at 35/25 °C, where only 2.0% of seeds germinated. Germination in complete darkness ranged from 39.5% to 80.5% for chinese privet and glossy privet among temperatures, with the exception of glossy privet at 35/25 °C, where only 0.5% of seeds germinated.