Abstract

FERRARI, Alejandro E; ESPARRACH, Carlos A; GALETTI, Mario A  and  WALL, Luis G. Afforestation of a desurfaced field with Robinia pseudoacacia inoculated with Rhizobium spp. and Glomus deserticola. Cienc. suelo [online]. 2010, vol.28, n.1, pp.105-114. ISSN 1850-2067.

Many agricultural lands in Buenos Aires Province (Argentina) have traditionally been desurfaced for the manufacture of bricks and other building materials. The desurfaced soils represent an extreme situation of degradation, having severe consequences for the environment. The purpose of this work was to assay the effects of inoculation of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) with Rhizobium and with a mycorrhizal strain on the survival and early growth of plants in a desurfaced field at the location of Balcarce (37º 45´ S, 58º 18´ O), in Buenos Aires Province (Argentina). The development of inoculated black locust was compared with non-inoculated (control) black locust and with the non-fixing green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.). Survival after two months was very good (>77%), especially for Fraxinus and for inoculated plants. Furthermore, inoculated plants also showed a significantly higher survival rate under drought stress than the control plants. The three kinds of plants showed high tolerance to hare attack and to late frost stress. During the first year, inoculated plants grew more rapidly than non-inoculated controls. During the second year the height of the two treatments was quite similar, probably because of the nodulation of control plants with soil-borne rhizobial or mycorrhizal strains. However, inoculated plants always showed higher development than the control plants according to three growth parameters (total height, canopy diameter and amount of side branches), both in the intact parts of the field and in the most severely extracted sectors. In conclusion, prior inoculation of black locust with effective strains of Rhizobium and mycorrhizal fungi was able to improve initial survival, tolerance to drought and early growth. This management practice is highly recommended to reduce the greenhouse period in the production of trees, and to produce plants more resistant and better adapted to use in reclamation projects of degraded areas.

Keywords : Black locust; Symbiosis; Mycorrhiza; Rhizobia; Nitrogen fixing trees.

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