AM INOCULATION AS A BIOLOGICAL TOOL TO IMPROVE PLANT REVEGETATION OF A DISTURBED SOIL WITH ROSMARINUS-OFFICINALIS UNDER SEMIARID CONDITIONS

Rosmarinus officinalis L., is an evergreen sclerophyllous mediterranea n shrub that can be used for revegetation purposes under semi-arid con ditions. Plants, some of which had been inoculated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Glomus intraradices Schenck & Smith, were gro wn on eroded topsoil collected from a sideslope of a recently construc ted motorway. The effects of the symbiosis on plant growth and soil co verage and the development of the number of AM propagules in the soil were studied to assess the usefulness of AM inoculation as a cultural practice to ensure successful establishment of plants in eroded soils. Results showed that AM inoculation could have a positive effect on th e revegetation process. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.