Arbuscular mycorrhiza of introduced and native grasses colonizing zinc wastes: implications for restoration practices

Abstract

The analysis of mycorrhizal status of grasses introduced under conventional phytoremediation programmes (including covering of the waste area with a layer of uncontaminated soil and watering) and of grasses that spontaneously established in later successional stages, was carried out on the slopes of the 1-to 30-year-old tailings of ZG Trzebionka Mining Company located near Chrzanów (southern Poland). Most grasses were mycorrhizal and the parameters of mycorrhization were higher on the older parts of the waste. Grasses selected for restoration practices were well developed only if the waste was covered with a layer of soil and continuous irrigation took place, both being expensive practices. The field experiment showed that the introduction of standard inoculum containing mycorrhizal fungi indeed improved the development of grasses during early stages, but still was not effective enough due to high erosion of the substratum. A slight improvement was observed when AgroHydroGel was used to lock moisture in the soil, but the plants did not survive for longer time periods. On the contrary, much better results were obtained when vegetatively multiplied grasses selected from specimens originating from natural succession were used to stabilize the vegetation on the bare industrial waste.

Metal uptake by xerothermic plants introduced into Zn-Pb industrial wastes

“…This result is in accordance with Broadley et al (2003) and may be correlated with low levels of pectin in monocot cell walls. It may also indicate better performance of grasses in degraded habitats confirming the finding that they are suitable for restoration of polluted areas (Ryszka and Turnau 2007).…”

“…Among the species studied, the most useful were shown to be Melica transsilvanica, Bromus innermis, Elymus hispidus and Anthyllis vulneraria. The first three species belong to the grass family, once again confirming that grasses are one of the best choices among plants to be used in phytoremediation of industrial wastes (Ryszka and Turnau 2007). Those plants together with A. vulneraria when grown on industrial waste did not exhibit differences in photosynthesis parameters when compared to the specimens originating from xerothermic grasslands (Turnau et al 2008).…”

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) root colonization dynamics of Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench. in grasslands and post-industrial sites

“…1 mainly in the lowlands but is fairly frequent in the Polish mountains (Mirek and Piękoś-Mirkowa, 2007). This grass occurs in a variety of habitats such as moorland, mire, river banks, grazed and ungrazed grasslands (the Molinion alliance) and wastelands (coal mine heaps, metal contaminated sites, sites of sand-pit excavation) and wet coniferous forests (the Molinio-Pinetum) (Grime et al, 1988;Kompała-Bąba et al, 2005;Kompała-Bąba and Bąba, 2013;Kompała and Woźniak, 2001;Ryszka and Turnau 2007;Salim et al, 1995;Szarek-Łukaszewska and Grodzińska, 2011;Rostański, 2006). It forms tussocks (0-20 cm in diameter) or extensive swards.…”

“…It has condensed rhizomes, but in heavily crowded areas of tussocks, it can extend vertically and lift new daughter tillers between 2 and 10 cm above the surrounding tiller level. Molinia caerulea has a well-developed root system, forming a dense tangle at the top, which can penetrate deep into the soil to more than 80 cm (Ryszka and Turnau, 2007;Taylor et al, 2001;Turnau et al, 2008). Their roots differ in terms of length and diameter (Jefferies 1915(Jefferies , 1916.…”

“…It can be accompanied by various rhizosphere micro-organisms such as AMF, diazotrophs and rhizobacteria (Eason et al, 1991;Jefferies, 1916;Hamelin et al, 2002;Harley and Harley, 1987;Reinhold-Hurek and Hurek, 1998). M. caerulea with the arbuscular type of endomycorrhiza is efficient at stabilizing the post-flotation wastes substratum (Ryszka and Turnau, 2007). It reproduces mainly vegetatively by stolons but it can produce seeds but germination and survival of seedlings on mine tailings are extremely low (Turnau et al, 2012).…”