Growth, nutrient absorption, and moisture status of selected woody species in coal mine spoil in response to an induced infection by the ectomycorrhizal fungus Pisolithus tinctorius

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6220081

Walker, R F

The growth, nutrient absorption, and internal moisture status of selected woody species in coal mine spoil in response to an induced infection by the ectomycorrhizal fungus Pisolithus tinctorius was studied. Nursery grown loblolly and Virginia pine seedlings infected with Pisolithus and control seedlings were outplanted on a coal mine spoil in Tennessee which had been previously hydroseeded with a mixture of herbaceous ground cover species. Granular fertilizer was applied by broadcasting to one-half of the seedlings of each ectomycorrhizal treatment at the rate of 112 kg/ha NPK. After three years, the survival and growth of loblolly pine infected with Pisolithus was superior to that of the control seedlings, and chemical analyses of foliar samples revealed that the seedlings with Pisolithus ectomycorrhizae had a higher foliar concentration of NO/sub 3/ and a lower concentration of Zn than the control seedlings. The survival, growth, and nutrient absorption of Virginia pine were not significantly affected by the infection with Pisolithus after two years, but both loblolly and Virginia pine seedlings with Pisolithus ectomycorrhizae exhibited an enhanced ability to absorb water during periods of high moisture stress, as determined by the pressure chamber technique. Fertilization substantially reduced the survival of the seedlings of both species.

• OSTI ID: 6220081
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010800 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Waste Management
510500* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHALCOGENIDES
COAL MINES
CONIFERS
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION IV
FERTILIZATION
FUNGI
GROWTH
INOCULATION
LAND RECLAMATION
METALS
MINES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NORTH AMERICA
NUTRIENTS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PINES
PLANT GROWTH
PLANTS
SEEDLINGS
SPOIL BANKS
TENNESSEE
TREES
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
USA
ZINC