Effects of phosphorus application and mycorrhizal inoculation on white clover (Trifolium repens) growth in andesite tailings from Martha Mine, Waihi

Abstract

Abstract The effects of mycorrhizal inoculation and level of applied phosphorus (P) on the growth of white clover (Trifolium repens) in tailings material from a gold and silver extraction process which involved cyanide leaching were examined. White clover gave large growth responses to increasing levels of applied P (0 - 180 μg P/g tailings) and very little growth occurred at low levels of applied P (below 45 μg P/g tailings). At medium - high levels of applied P, inoculation with the vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae resulted in significantly increased yields. Inoculation with topsoil from a site adjacent to the proposed tailings disposal area did not increase plant yields in comparison with plants inoculated with sterilised topsoil. However, there were increased yields in response to both topsoil treatments early on in the experiment. The tailings material appeared to have little or no adverse effect on the development of nitrogen-fixing capacity or mycorrhizal roots. The growth of ...