The potential of mycorrhizal inoculation and organic amendment to increase yields of Galega orientalis and Helianthus tuberosus in a spoil-bank substrate

An agricultural use of reclaimed coal-mine spoil banks is limited to nonfood crop uses and provides potential for biofuel crops. Two high-biomass crops-Galega orientalis and Helianthus tuberosus-were cultivated in a greenhouse pot experiment conducted in sterilized and non-sterile spoil bank clay. We aimed (1) to determine the possibility of reducing the applied rate of organic amendments (thus decreasing the costs of spoil-bank reclamation) and (2) to assess whether the inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can improve plant growth and biomass accumulation of bioenergy crops even in nonsterile soil containing naturally occurring AMF. The spoil substrate was either unamended or treated with a mixture of composted urban waste and ligno-cellulose at a rate corresponding to 40 t ha(-1). Three native AMF isolates or three isolates from the International Bank of Glomeromycota (BEG) originating from man-made ecosystems were used for inoculation. Generally, both plant species positively responded to both mycorrhizal inoculation and organic amendment. While G. orientalis did not show any preferences towards the AMF inoculum origin in the nonsterile soil, for H. tuberosus the specific combination of organic amendment and BEG isolates resulted in highest yields of shoot biomass. The study shows that the successful planting of both tested crops requires the organic amendment. However, its dosage can be substantially reduced. The effectiveness of mycorrhizal inoculation can vary for the combination of plant species and the origin of the applied AMF.