Seed inoculation with effective root-nodule bacteria enhances revegetation success

1. Extensive clearing of native vegetation in Australia has contributed to major environmental problems, including land degradation, dryland salinity, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity. Re-establishing cover with deep-rooted perennial species is a major focus for conservation and sustainable lan...

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Published in:	The Journal of applied ecology Vol. 42; no. 4; pp. 740 - 751
Main Authors:	Thrall, P.H, Millsom, D.A, Jeavons, A.C, Waayers, M, Harvey, G.R, Bagnall, D.J, Brockwell, J
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01-08-2005 Blackwell Science Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects:	Acacia Acacia spp Animal, plant and microbial ecology Applied ecology Biological and medical sciences Bradyrhizobium Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife direct seeding electrical conductivity Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration Forest soils Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology General aspects Inoculation land restoration Legumes mortality Nitrogen nitrogen fixation nitrogen-fixing bacteria nodulation plant establishment Plant Interactions and Spread Plants rhizobia roots seed inoculation seedling growth Seedlings Seeds shrubs Soil inoculation soil pH Soil water Species strains Symbiosis Trees Vegetation Victoria (Australia) New South Wales Australia Symbiosis Seeds Root Acacia spp Revegetation legumes inoculation Leguminosae land restoration rhizobia direct-seeding Dicotyledones Angiospermae Acacia Nitrogen fixation Bacteria Spermatophyta Ecological recovery Rhizobiaceae Bradyrhizobium
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Summary:	1. Extensive clearing of native vegetation in Australia has contributed to major environmental problems, including land degradation, dryland salinity, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity. Re-establishing cover with deep-rooted perennial species is a major focus for conservation and sustainable land management, particularly with regard to hydrological control of recharge and saline discharge areas. However, considerable expense is involved in large-scale revegetation programmes and cost effectiveness is a real concern. 2. Low-cost revegetation approaches are needed that require little maintenance yet can substantially enhance reliable establishment and growth of native trees and shrubs. We evaluated results from direct-seeding field trials that examined the benefits of using native Australian Acacia species inoculated with effective strains of nitrogen-fixing root-nodule bacteria to revegetate degraded landscapes. 3. On average, inoculation led to a 118% increase in establishment of acacia seedlings, indicating that the use of elite strains of native bacteria can substantially reduce seed requirements. This is a major benefit given the expense of collecting sufficient native seed and the impacts of this activity on remnant population viability. 4. Particularly at sites experiencing harsher climatic conditions, subsequent survival of inoculated seedlings was significantly greater than for uninoculated controls. Moreover, inoculated acacias grew 10-58% faster than uninoculated controls during the critical early phase of establishment, although this varied among species and sites. 5. Synthesis and applications. Inoculation of Acacia species or other native leguminous shrubs and trees with elite strains of native rhizobia as part of direct-seeding techniques has the potential to increase the scope, rate and success of land restoration world-wide. Re-establishment of important plant-soil interactions in degraded soils can contribute significantly to the development of biodiverse self-regenerating native ecosystems in agricultural landscapes.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23
ISSN:	0021-8901 1365-2664
DOI:	10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01058.x