Selection experiments for the optimum combination of AMF-plant-substrate for the restoration of coal mines

A complex substrate consisting of fly ash, coal gangue and excess sludge was used as an experimental soil in pot culture experiments. Different soil compositions were tested by observing the growth of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculated white clover, rye grass or corn. The biomass of the host plants, the mycorrhizal colonization (MC) rate and the mycorrhizal dependency (MD) were measured. The research addresses the preferable AMF-plant-substrate combination appropriate for restoration of coal mines. We used two inoculation methods: single-inoculation with Glomus versiforme or Glomus mosseae and a dual inoculation with both G.v and G.m. The results show that G.m is the preferable fungi and that dual inoculation does not show advantages for the restoration of coal mines. White clover inoculated with AM fungi is the most suitable condition for restoration of coal mines. The best weight ratio of fly ash, coal gangue and excess sludge was found to be 20:60:20. The optimum treatment conditions of AMF-plant-activated-substrate are described.