Changes of Parameters of Infectivity and Efficiency of Different Glomus mosseae Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Strains in Cadmium-Loaded Soils

Adaptability of five Glomus mosseae cultures of different origins to the soil cadmium (Cd) content and the changes of the efficiency of the symbiosis between the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) strains and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) hosts were investigated in a pot experiment. The parameters of mycorrhizal colonization of the different strains and efficiency such as macro- and microelement content of the shoots of mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal plants, the plant growth response to the increasing soil Cd content (0, 50, 100mgkg-1), and the response to the AMF inoculation were compared at harvesting after 11 and 20 weeks. Variability was observed in the tolerance of different G. mosseae strains to soil Cd loading. Arbuscular richness of the probable Cd-adapted strain was not influenced either by increasing soil Cd content or harvesting time, whereas that parameters of nonadapted strains showed decrease in time. The effect of different AMF inoculation on plant biomass production also varied significantly. The phytotoxicity level caused by Cd was alleviated in the case of inoculation with two strains the most. Higher acqusition of some essential macro- and microelements were observed in case of mycorrhizal plants compared to controls. The general occurence and effectiveness of G. mosseae AMF species is obviously related to intraspecific variability. The adequate selected stress-tolerant AMF strains can be useful in phytoremediation.