Grass species and mycorrhizal fungi improved aggregate stability of compacted and vegetated soils

作者：Minghui Li, Xun Wen Chen, Anthony Kwan Leung · 发表于：Plant and Soil · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1007/s11104-024-07038-2 · 被引用次数：15 · 研究领域：Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions、Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics、Fungal Biology and Applications

Abstract Aim Compaction of slope soils can substantially hinder root penetration of grass cover, which may be alleviated through the colonisation of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and aggregate stabilisation. We investigated aggregate stabilisation and breakdown mechanisms in compacted dense mycorrhizal soils. Methods A pot-culture experiment with seven treatments (five replicates per treatment) was implemented. In a local decomposed granitic soil, we inoculated two grass species ( Chrysopogon ziaanioides and Cynodon dactylon ) with AM fungi. We used loose soil to grow C. dactylon to compare it with compacted dense soil, as well as pots without a plant and/or fungal inoculation for comparison. After 20 weeks of cultivation, we measured root and AM fungal characteristics, soil organic matter and aggregate properties by dry sieving, wet sieving and Le Bissonnais methods. Results Compaction led to the formation of macro-aggregates (> 0.25 mm) but had a negative influence on the aggregate stability. The fungal inoculation increased polysaccharide production and aggregate stability in the compacted soil vegetated with C. dactylon . The inoculated C. ziaanioides showed a similar level of aggregate stability as the inoculated C. dactylon , but the uninoculated group demonstrated higher aggregate stability compared with the inoculated group owing to root decomposition. The aggregate stability against various breakdown mechanisms was related to the established aggregate hierarch...