Abstract
Natural vegetation succession on abandoned coal-mined lands does not provide sufficient plant cover to control soil erosion in the short term. Soil inoculum of mycorrhizal fungi from an adjacent undisturbed area was used to inoculate balsam poplar cuttings and alder seedlings to improve plant growth. Soil inoculum contains the species of mycorrhizal fungi indigenous to the area as well as other beneficial organisms. An initial survey of mycorrhizal fungi in soils was conducted to determine the existing levels of mycorrhizal infection on native and disturbed soils. Four experiments were implemented to determine (1) fertilizer and mycorrhizal effects, (2) effects of successional stage of inoculum source, (3) effects of nitrogen sources in conjunction with mycorrhizae, and (4) the combinations of microsites, fertilizer, and mycorrhizae needed to establish vegetation on a steep slope. Measurements included plant heights, twig lengths, basal diameters, twig diameters, root system size, leaf nutrient concentrations, and mycorrhizal infection levels. Soil-borne inoculum improved the growth of balsam poplar cuttings and alder seedlings over this 2-yr period. Successional stage of the vegetation community where the soil inoculum was obtained affected different plant species differently. More than one amendment was needed to help plants grow on the steep slope. (See also OFR 16-91)
