Effect of organic fertilizers and limes on ectomycorrhizal fungi in abandoned coal mine spoils restored ecologically

The effect of organic fertilizer and limes on ectomycorrhizal fungi was investigated in abandoned coal mine spoils restored ecologically by introducing tolerant plants and soil ameliorators. Experiments were conducted in a site of abandoned coal mine spoils in Samcheok, central eastern Korea. Saplings and seedlings of pine trees (Pinus densiflora) were transplanted to the sites and organic fertilizers and limes as soil ameliorators were added into the each plots. After one year of treatments, roots of seedlings or saplings of pine trees were collected and the morphotypes and colonization rates of ectomycorrhizal fungi were analyzed. PCR-RFLP using fungal specific primer pair ITS1F/ITS4 and DNA sequence analysis were conducted. The effect of organic fertilizer and lime on colonization rates of ectomycorrhizal fungi was varied as growth stages of pines. The organic fertilizer and limes were significantly increased colonization rates of ectomycorrhizal fungi in sapling plots. In seedling plots, the treatment of lime increased colonization rates of ectomycorrhizal fungi, but the organic fertilizer showed no significant effect on mycorrhizal colonization rates of pine trees. Although the treatment of organic fertilizers or limes did not change the species composition of ectomycorrhizal communities, the slaked lime treatment increased the species number of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Results showed that treatments of organic fertilizer or  lime increased mycorrhizal colonization rates and number of species, suggesting soil amelioration is the useful treatments for restoration of coal mine spoils.