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In this paper, we report the influence of pine, oak and spruce forest litter on the growth and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) formation of Scots pine seedlings after the first growing season in a bare-root forest nursery. The mixture of collected forest litters and humus were used to obtain a 20-cm mulching layer on the prepared seedbeds. The concentrations of all nutrients and the C/N ratio of growth media were significantly higher in forest litter treatments than in negative control represented by mineral soil without litter. Addition of each forest litter type significantly enhanced pine seedling height and root-collar diameter compared to negative control. A significant positive influence on dry mass of stem, needles, roots and total dry mass of the seedling has been found only for pine litter. Based on molecular identification, seven ECM fungal taxa (Wilcoxina mikolae, Suillus luteus, Cenococcum geophilum, Meliniomyces bicolor, Laccaria laccata, unidentified Atheliaceae, unidentified Ascomycetes) were distinguished in the observed mycorrhizal communities. Each forest litter type significantly increased the total number of mycorrhizal tips and ECM fungal diversity compared to the control soil. However, results showed a lack of significant differences in species composition and relative abundance of ECM fungi between different litter types. Such result suggests that forest litter has not been a key source of inoculum for tested fungal species, as root systems of all pine seedlings from different litter types were dominated by a few nurseryadapted ECM fungi, probably originating from natural air-borne inoculum. Our data rather indicate that forest litter considerably improves environmental conditions for development of ECM fungi previously present in the nursery soil. Therefore, any of the forest litter types used in our studies may be able to promote planting stock quality on a small scale in the nursery phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We report the effects of pine and oak litter on species composition and diversity of mycorrhizal fungi colonizing 2-year-old Pinus sylvestris L. seedlings grown in a bare-root nursery in Lithuania. A layer of pine or oak litter was placed on the surface of the nursery bed soil to mimic natural litter cover. Oak litter amendment appeared to be most favorable for seedling survival, with a 73% survival rate, in contrast to the untreated mineral bed soil (44%). The concentrations of total N, P, K, Ca, and Mg were higher in oak growth medium than in pine growth medium. Relative to the control (pH 6.1), the pH was lower in pine growth medium (5.8) and higher in oak growth medium (6.3). There were also twofold and threefold increases in the C content of growth medium with the addition of pine and oak litter, respectively. Among seven mycorrhizal morphotypes, eight different mycorrhizal taxa were identified: Suillus luteus, Suillus variegatus, Wilcoxina mikolae, a Tuber sp., a Tomentella sp., Cenococcum geophilum, Amphinema byssoides, and one unidentified ectomycorrhizal symbiont. Forest litter addition affected the relative abundance of mycorrhizal symbionts more than their overall representation. This was more pronounced for pine litter than for oak litter, with 40% and 25% increases in the abundance of suilloid mycorrhizae, respectively. Our findings provide preliminary evidence that changes in the supply of organic matter through litter manipulation may have far-reaching effects on the chemistry of soil, thus influencing the growth and survival of Scots pine seedlings and their mycorrhizal communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic overexploitation poses significant threats to the ecosystems that surround mining sites, which also have tremendous negative impacts on human health and society safety. The technological capacity of the ecological restoration of mine sites is imminent, however, it remains a challenge to sustain the green restorative effects of ecological reconstruction. As a promising and environmentally friendly method, the use of microbial technologies to improve existing ecological restoration strategies have shown to be effective. Nonetheless, research into the mechanisms and influences of rock-solubilizing microbial inoculums on plant growth is negligible and the lack of this knowledge inhibits the broader application of this technology. We compared the effects of rock-solubilizing microbial inoculums on two plant species. The results revealed that rock-solubilizing microbial inoculums significantly increased the number of nodules and the total nodule volume of Robinia pseudoacacia L. but not of Lespedeza bicolor Turcz. The reason of the opposite reactions is possibly because the growth of R. pseudoacacia was significantly correlated with nodule formation, whereas L. bicolor's growth index was more closely related to soil characteristics and if soil nitrogen content was sufficient to support its growth. Further, we found that soil sucrase activity contributed the most to the height of R. pseudoacacia, and the total volume of root nodules contributed most to its ground diameter and leaf area. Differently, we found a high contribution of total soil carbon to seedling height and ground diameter of L. bicolor, and the soil phosphatase activity contributed the most to the L. bicolor' s leaf area. Our work suggests that the addition of rock-solubilizing microbial inoculums can enhance the supply capacity of soil nutrients and the ability of plants to take up nutrients for the promotion of plant growth. Altogether, our study provides technical support for the practical application of rock-solubilizing microbes on bare rock in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]