A molecular approach to ascertain the success of “in situ” AM fungi inoculation in the revegetation of a semiarid, degraded land

The positive effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation on plant establishment under field conditions has been shown. However, whether this effect is related to the survival of the AMF and how the AMF inoculum affects the colonisation of plant roots by the native AMF remain uncertain.In this study, we assessed the AMF community composition in O. europaea roots inoculated “in situ” with three types of AMF inoculum: Glomus sp., G. intraradices and a mixture of Glomus sp. and G. intraradices. All the AMF isolates inoculated showed a good percentage of persistence. Mycorrhizal inoculation with the mixture of Glomus sp. and G. intraradices was the most effective treatment for increasing the AMF diversity in roots 14 months after plantation. Plant growth was increased significantly by all the inocula tested, although plant biomass was not correlated with variation in the AMF diversity or with the AMF inoculum persistence. Thus, it seems that this positive effect was mediated by the interaction between the AMF inoculum and the natural colonisation. Therefore, the application of native AMF isolates in the planting hole may be considered a good strategy for the revegetation of semiarid, degraded soils, in order to reactivate the indigenous AMF populations and improve the performance of O. europaea seedlings, particularly when mixtures of native isolates are used.

Research highlights
► “In situ” inoculation with native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increased Olea europaea establishment.
► Dual inoculation with Glomus sp. and G. intraradices yielded the highest arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity in O. europaea roots.
► Interactions between AMF inoculum and natural colonization appear to be responsible for the observed differences in O. europaea growth.