Find in Library

The Chinese honey locust tree <i>Gleditsia sinensis</i> Lam. (Fabaceae) is a precious ecological and economic tree species that has wide-ranging usage. However, knowledge regarding seedling cultivation (especially the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)) is scarce, which limits the developent of <i>Gleditsia</i> plantations. A pot experiment was carried out under greenhouse conditions to estimate the effects of three AMF strains (<i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> 1, <i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> 2, and <i>Diversispora tortuosa</i>) on the growth, photosynthetic rate, and nutrient content of <i>G. sinensis</i> seedlings. Results showed that the growth parameters (seedling height, basal diameter, dry biomass) of the seedlings were significantly increased by each of the three AMF strains, associated with high root colonization rates (greater than 75%). Chlorophyll concentrations and photosynthetic rates were also increased by AMF, and phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) content in the three organs (leaf, stem, and root), and nitrogen (N) content in the leaf and stem of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) seedlings were significantly higher than in non-AM seedlings. Mycorrhizal dependency of the AM seedlings was greater than 350%, and significantly correlated with the increased P and K content in all three organs and increased N content in the leaf and stem. Positive effects of <i>F. mosseae</i> on growth and the nutrient content of seedlings were higher than those of <i>D. tortuosa</i>, but no significant different effects on <i>G. sinensis</i> seedlings were observed between the two strains of <i>F. mosseae</i>. Hence, growth of <i>G. sinensis</i> seedlings was effectively enhanced by AMF, with <i>F. mosseae</i> being more suitable for the inoculation of <i>G. sinensis</i> seedlings. These results indicate that arbuscular mycorrhization is beneficial for the growth of young <i>G. sinensis</i> plants. Further research is needed to determine whether the effects can be reproduced in a forest situation.