Authors:
Requena, N., E. Perez-Solis, C. Azcon-Aguilar, P. Jeffries and J.M. Barea
Publication Date:
2001
Abstract/Summary:
Here we demonstrate, in two long-term experiments in a desertified Mediterranean ecosystem, that inoculation with indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and with rhizobial nitrogen-fixing bacteria not only enhanced the establishment of key plant species but also increased soil fertility and quality. The dual symbiosis increased the soil nitrogen (N) content, organic matter, and hydrostable soil aggregates and enhanced N transfer from N-fixing to nonfixing species associated within the natural succession. We conclude that the introduction of target indigenous species of plants associated with a managed community of microbial symbionts is a successful biotechnological tool to aid the recovery of desertified ecosystems.
Resource Type:
Peer-reviewed Article
Source:
Applied and Environmental Microbiology