Composition of Casuarina leaf litter and its influence on Frankia-Casuarina symbiosis in soil

• Published in: Folia microbiologica Vol. 47; no. 4; pp. 429 - 434
• Main Authors: Sayed, W.F, El-Sharouny, H.M, Ali, W.M. (South Valley Univ., Qena (Egypt)), Zahran, H.H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Praha Academia 01.01.2002
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; ALTURA; ALUMINIO; ALUMINIUM; Biological and medical sciences; BROTES; CADMIO; CADMIUM; CASUARINA EQUISETIFOLIA; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION; CHIMIE DU SOL; CHLORE; CHLORINE; CIANUROS; CINC; CLORO; COBRE; COMPOSE PHENOLIQUE; COMPOSICION QUIMICA; COMPOSITION CHIMIQUE; COMPUESTOS FENOLICOS; CONTENIDO DE MATERIA SECA; CONTENIDO DE NITROGENO; COPPER; CRECIMIENTO; CROISSANCE; CUIVRE; CYANIDES; CYANURE; DRY MATTER CONTENT; FER; FEUILLE; FORMATION DE NODOSITES; FOSFORO; FRANKIA; Frankia - growth & development; Frankia - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; GROWTH; HAUTEUR; HEIGHT; HIERRO; HOJARASCA; HOJAS; INHIBICION; INHIBITION; INOCULACION; INOCULATION; ION; IONES; IONS; IRON; LARGURA; LEAVES; LENGTH; LITIERE VEGETALE; LONGUEUR; MAGNESIO; MAGNESIUM; Magnoliopsida - growth & development; Magnoliopsida - metabolism; Magnoliopsida - microbiology; MANGANESE; MANGANESO; Metals - analysis; Metals - toxicity; NITRATE; NITRATES; NITRATOS; NITROGEN CONTENT; NODULACION; Other nutrients. Amendments. Solid and liquid wastes. Sludges and slurries; PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS; Phenols - metabolism; PHOSPHORE; PHOSPHORUS; Plant Leaves - chemistry; PLANT LITTER; POUSSE; QUIMICA DEL SUELO; RACINE; RAICES; ROOT NODULATION; ROOTS; SHOOTS; SILICIO; SILICIUM; SILICON; SOIL CHEMISTRY; Soil Microbiology; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; SOIL TREATMENT; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; SULFATE; SULFATOS; SULFURE; SULFUROS; SULPHATES; SULPHIDES; Symbiosis; TENEUR EN AZOTE; TENEUR EN MATIERE SECHE; TOXICIDAD; TOXICITE; TOXICITY; TRAITEMENT DU SOL; TRATAMIENTO DEL SUELO; Trees - growth & development; Trees - metabolism; Trees - microbiology; ZINC; Symbiosis; Litter; Growth; Nodulation; Frankiaceae; Casuarina equisetifolia; Frankia; Actinomycetales; Casuarinaceae; Dicotyledones; Infectivity; Angiospermae; Bacteria; Actinomycetes; Hardwood forest tree; Spermatophyta; Organic amendment
• ISSN: 0015-5632; 1874-9356
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02818703

Plant needles of Casuarina equisetifolia were collected and analyzed in parallel with soil analysis. In three strains of Frankia - symbionts of Casuarina - their infectivity and plant performance was determined in vitro after soil amendment with different leaf litter concentrations. Only one strain was able to nodulate the plant at all litter concentrations (0.5, 3 and 5 %) although the nodules were very small. However, all treated plants grew poorly; their growth was reduced by approximately 90 % (for 5 % litter concentration) compared to plants grown on untreated soil, on the basis of total dry mass. Inhibition of nodulation can be attributed to high concentrations of some elements and compounds that were either found in C. equisetifolia litter or originally found in soil (i.e. chloride, cyanide, copper, manganes and phenols). In general, plant growth decreased as more litter was added. Plant total nitrogen concentration was also reduced after increasing the litter concentration. The inhibitory effect of high litter concentrations was mainly on plant growth and to a lesser extent on plant nodulation by Frankia strains.