Ectomycorrhizal establishment and seedling response on variously treated deep-mine coal refuse
The environment of most deep-mine refuse banks is too harsh for plants to become established naturally and grow well. Efforts to revegetate such banks have been sporadic, and the results have been either minimally successful or too expensive for widespread application. It has long been known that certain fungi are capable of forming mycorrhizae on the roots of tree seedlings which enable the seedlings to grow better under conditions of nutrient deficiencies. Recent studies have revealed that specific ectomycorrhizal symbionts are able to survive under conditions of high acidity, high temperatures, or low moisture. Therefore a study was established to determine if such ectomycorrhizal symbionts could tolerate the harsh conditions found on refuse banks and if they could increase seedling growth either with or without additional treatment. The experiments were conducted in a greenhouse in pots of spoil material. European white birch (Betula pendula L.) and red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.), which are among the species most tolerant of the environmental stresses found on spoil banks, were used with each species constituting a separate experiment. Both tree species were successfully inoculated with both mycorrhizal fungi, with Pisolithus mycorrhizae being the more abundant. Of the mycorrhizal treatments, only the Pisolithus inoculations of the red pine seedlings resulted in a significant increase in growth. In comparison to the control plants, growth response was greater in the pots treated with lime or fertilizer than in those inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi. The results are sufficiently promising as to encourage additional ectomycorrhizal studies, especially field plantings of seedlings with abundant Pisolithus mycorrhizae on their roots. Meanwhile, any refuse-bank plantings should include fertilizer application and on the highly acid banks lime application as well.
- Research Organization:
- Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park (USA). School of Forest Resources
- OSTI ID:
- 5269913
- Report Number(s):
- SR-89
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Exploration of mechanisms regulating ectomycorrhizal colonization of boron-fertilized pine. [Pisolithus tinctorius]
Influence of mine spoil type, fertilizer, and mycorrhizae on pines seeded in greenhouse trays
Related Subjects
010800 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Waste Management
010900* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
510500 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560303 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Plants-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BIOMASS
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM HYDROXIDES
COAL MINES
CONIFERS
ENERGY SOURCES
FERTILIZERS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXIDES
LAND RECLAMATION
MINES
MINING
MYCORRHIZAS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PINES
PLANTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
REVEGETATION
SPOIL BANKS
TOLERANCE
TREES
UNDERGROUND MINING