The effect of different land uses on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the northwestern Black Sea Region

The object of the present research was to establish correlations between the status of root colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and different types of land use. In order to achieve this aim, rhizosphere soil samples from grassland crops were taken during June and July of 2013 in order to use for determining several soil characteristics. The 27 different taxa and 60 soil samples were collected from the rhizosphere level in the study areas. The existence of AMF was confirmed in 100 % of these plants with different rations of colonization (approximately 12-89 %). Bromus racemosus L. (pasture) was the most dense taxon with the percentage of AMF colonization of 88.9 %, and Trifolium pratense L. (forest) was the least dense taxon with the percentage of AMF colonization of 12.2 % (average 52.0 %). As a result of the statistical analysis, a positive relationship was found between the botanical composition of legumes and AMF colonization (r = 0.35; p = 0.006). However, a negative relationship was determined between botanical composition of other plant families and AMF colonization (r = -0.39; p = 0.002). In addition, a positive relationship was defined between soil pH (H2O) and the root colonization of AMF (r = 0.35; p = 0.005). The pasture had the highest mean value of AMF root colonization. However, the pasture and gap in the forest were in the same group, according to the results of the S-N-K test.