Objective  Composition and diversity of the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi communities at natural and cultivated Castanea henryi forests in Taining, Fujian were studied.

  Methods  Samples of C. henryi root and rhizosphere soil at the sites were collected for physiochemical analysis, mycorrhizal morphology observation, and molecular identification. A correlation between the ECM fungi in the roots and environmental conditions was analyzed.

  Results   The physicochemical properties of the rhizosphere soil significantly differed between the natural forests and the plantations. The contents of organic matters, total nitrogen, total potassium, and water in the soil of a natural forest were significantly higher than those of a plantation. Five types of ECM fungi belonging to 2 phyla, 3 families, and 5 genera were identified in the collected samples. Among the fungi, the highest infection rate of Cenococcum geophilum at 33.62% was found on the C. henryi roots at the natural forests and that of Scleroderma citrinum at 65.61% at the plantations; while the other dominants included Lactarius kesiyae, Xerocomus sp. and Russula sp. . The contents of total phosphorus, total potassium, and water as well as pH in the soil significantly correlated with the fungal infection on the C. henryi roots.

  Conclusion   Significant differences existed in the ECM fungi communities at the natural C. henryi forests and plantations in Taining. The fungal diversity in rhizosphere soil was higher at the natural forests than the plantations. The information gathered from this study provided a guideline for improved C. henryi cultivation management and plantation soil restoration.