Abstract
ABSTRACT Reforestation in mine spoils difficult because the mine spoils are low or lack in beneficial microbial populations. To overcome this problem a field experiment was conducted on bauxite mine spoils with Casuarina equisetifolia Frost and beneficial microbial inoculants (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Frankia and phosphobacterium) for reforestation. Under nursery experiments the cultured arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi Glomus aggregatum Schenck & Smith emend. Koske, Phosphobacterium (PSB) and root nodule extract of Frankia have inoculated to C. equisetifolia individually and combinations at nursery level. The mine wastes of bauxite called bauxite mine spoils were collected and used as potting media to grow C. equisetifolia seedlings along with these microbial inoculants. From the nursery experiments it was found that the AM fungi and other beneficial microbial inoculants improved the seedlings in terms of bio mass and growth. The seedlings thereafter were transplanted at bauxite mine spoils and the growth and survival of seedlings were monitored for two years. In field conditions, AM fungi, PSB and Frankia inoculated seedlings of C. equisetifolia showed 90 to 100% survival over the control seedlings. Their growth was also significantly higher than the control seedlings. The nutrient uptake (N, P, K) was also increased in the trees inoculated with AM fungi, Frankia and PSB. From this study it was understood that C. equisetifolia inoculated with beneficial microbes is a suitable tree species for reforestation in bauxite mine spoils
Published Version
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