ICOM1 Abstract

CRAVEN-GRIFFITHS, AMANDA1, JOHN DODD2 & PETER JEFFRIES1. 1Research School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ UK. 2International Institute of Biotechnology, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7YW UK.-The effects of inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on indigenous plant species from a desertified ecosystem in Southern Spain. The EU ENVIRONMENT project REDEEM aims to improve the rate of revegetation by native plant species in a desertified ecosystem in Southern Spain. A glasshouse experiment was designed to study the effects of AMF on the growth of 3 indigenous plants: the predominant legume pioneers Retama sphaerocarpa L. and Anthyllis cytisoides L.Boiss. and Thymus vulgaris L. a non-legume. Plants were inoculated with either Glomus coronatum (BEG-49; an indigenous isolate) or G.microaggregatum (AD-2; an exotic isolate from a similar ecosystem). Deep pots were used to suit the deep rooting nature of desert plants and roots were collected separately from the 0-10cm, 10-20cm and 20-30cm rooting depths at harvest. At 12 weeks most root development had occurred in the upper 10cm rooting zone. There was no effect of AMF on total root fresh weight. However, G.coronatum (BEG-49) increased root fresh weight in the upper 10cm rooting zone for the three plants whilst G.microaggregatum (AD-2) also altered the root architecture of R.sphaerocarpa, increasing the proportion of root tips within the upper 10cm rooting zone. Thus, 12 weeks after inoculation both AMF had induced significant yet different changes in root growth and development. This has implications for the placement of inoculum in a restoration programme. Isozyme analysis has been used to monitor the development of AMF colonising roots of R.sphaerocarpa and A.cytisoides and this will be discussed further.