Effect of combined application of microbial inoculum and fertilizer on white clover growth in reclaimed mine soil

The effect of combined application of microbial inoculum and fertilizer on growth of white clover in reclaimed mine soils were investigated in a pot experiment. Under dual inoculation of Glomus mossea and Rhizobium treatment, the number of nodules, nodule fresh weight and nitrogenase activity in white clover increased significantly. For white clovers treated with either dual inoculation of G. mossea and Rhizobium with organic mature or inorganic fertilizer, no significant difference existed in the number of nodules. However, there were significant differences in nodule weight and nitrogenase activity. Both branch number and dry biomass of white clovers were maximum for dual inoculation of G. mossea and Rhizobium with organic mature in all treatments. Leaf number of white clovers was highest for the dual inoculation of G. mossea and Rhizobium on the 40th and 150th days of growth. Both colonization infection rate and soil bacteria spore number increased under inoculation of G. mossea and/or Rhizobium with general effectiveness orders of inoculation treatment of dual inoculation of G. mossea and Rhizobium>G. mossea inoculation>Rhizobium inoculation, and orders of fertilizer treatment of organic fertilizer>inorganic fertilizer>control. Furthermore, the combined application of fertilizer and microbial inoculum effectively improved soil N, P, K utilization by white clovers. The combined application of organic fertilizer with G. mossea and Rhizobium significantly promoted the growth of white clover in reclaimed mine soils.