Integration of arbuscular mycorrhiza inoculation in hydroseeding technology: effects on plant growth and inter‐species competition

Abstract

Hydroseeding is a technique increasingly used to establish vegetation on large degraded areas, such as large-scale road construction sites and quarries. Native grasses and legume species are used on rehabilitation and restoration projects as a first step in the recovery of such places, prior to the establishment of native forbs and shrubs that occurs at a slower pace. The effect of mycorrhizal inoculation on the development of nine species of grasses and legumes that can be potentially used in restoration processes in the Mediterranean area was studied, in microcosm experiments under greenhouse conditions. The effect of adding arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) inoculum to a hydroseeding mixture was also investigated in greenhouse and in field conditions. In the hydroseeding experiments the mycorrhizal inoculum was added to the seed slurry in a jet agitated hydroseeding machine and sprayed to the soil surface with a pressurised spray in a one-step application. The study shows that Glomus intraradices Schenk & Smith BEG72 is able to establish the symbiosis when applied at sowing while Glomus mosseae (Nicol. & Gerd.) Gerdemann & Trappe BEG116 is not. It also confirms that legumes are more highly mycotrophic than grasses. The results of the hydroseeding experiments demonstrate the establishment of the symbiosis using this technology, both in the greenhouse and in the field. Mycorrhizal inoculation improved above ground plant growth and increased the legumes/grasses ratio.

Desirable plant root traits for protecting natural and engineered slopes against landslides

“…In a growing literature on the subject, mycorrhizas are seen as useful tools in the restoration of degraded soil, but again, species and site are important factors to consider before undertaking any restoration project using mycorrhizas (e.g. Palenzuela et al 2002;Estaun et al 2007). In certain conditions, the introduction of mycorrhizas at a site may even be detrimental to plant establishment (see Walker et al 2009).…”

Hydroseeding for Restoring Degraded Semi-Arid Mediterranean Environments: A Review of Challenges.

“…The experiment evaluated the implications on severely disturbed areas as well under controlled conditions (greenhouse trial). Results revealed that the establishment of a symbiotic relationship improves aboveground plant growth and increases the legumes/grasses ratio (both in the greenhouse and in the field) (Estaun et al, 2007). Another study by Brown et al (1983) measured rhizobium viability in hydroseeding slurries by testing variation in the pH due to fertilizer addition.…”

Plantago lanceolata growth and Cr uptake after mycorrhizal inoculation in a Cr amended substrate

“…The BEG 72 isolate of G. intraradices is a native arbuscular fungus isolated from a citrus nursery of the mediterranean area (Camprubí and Calvet 1996). It was and has proved effective in many agricultural and landscape restoration situations (Calvet et al 2001, Estaún et al 2007.…”