The role of mycorrhizae in improving the viability of urban trees

In our cities, we are increasingly encountering tree-planted public spaces where the health and aesthetic condition of the woody stock is less than ideal. The deterioration of plant quality is due to the increasing intensity of urban stresses, the lack of care in maintenance, and incorrect species selection can play a major role in the decline in plant health. While the latter two can be significantly improved with financial investment and attention, the resistance to stress remains an unresolved issue. One possible way to address this issue is the use of mycorrhizal inoculants, which are becoming increasingly important in Varrosian forests. The presence of fungi has been shown to protect plants directly and indirectly against various stresses (drought, frost, or stress caused by pathogens and pests) and to improve the nutrient and water uptake and retention of nutrients and water. However, a precise strategy is required to ensure that varroa is used to achieve the right level of (time of application, method of application, ingredients of the product applied, etc.). Research results known today clarify the influence of host plant and site characteristics on colonisation. All the work carried out so far has detected positive results for plants that have undergone treatment.

Assessing the suitability of drought-tolerant species

The use of plants in built-up areas is a highly variable landscape architecture method, with new species being added to the plant mix. In addition to drought-tolerant stonecrops, other plant families such as the Aizoaceae (crystal flower family) could play a prominent role as the most important plants for extensive green roofs. In 2012, a leaf succulent thematic collection was established in the grassy area next to the palm house in the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden. With the establishment of the winter-hardy leaf succulent collection, we further aimed to investigate the relationships between the phenological, ground cover, and ornamental values of different stonecrops taxa under identical maintenance and environmental conditions, which could help designers in the field to select the most suitable taxa. The collection consisted of nearly 100 taxa of the genera Delosperma, Sedum, Sempervivum, Jovibarba, Orostachys, Phedimus, Hylotelephyum, Lewisia.