Root-associated bacteria contribute to mineral weathering and to mineral nutrition in trees: a budgeting analysis.

ABSTRACT: The principal nutrient source for forest trees derives from the weathering of soil minerals which results from water circulation and from plant and microbial activity. The main objectives of this work were to quantify the respective effects of plant- and root-associated bacteria on mineral weathering and their consequences on tree seedling growth and nutrition. That is why we carried out two column experiments with a quartz-biotite substrate. The columns were planted with or without pine seedlings and inoculated or not with three ectomycorrhizosphere bacterial strains to quantify biotite weathering and pine growth and to determine how bacteria improve pine growth. We showed that the pine roots significantly increased biotite weathering by a factor of 1.3 for magnesium and 1.7 for potassium

SUBMITTER: Calvaruso C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1392890 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature