The ideal time for transplanting your seedlings is about 3 weeks after they sprout or when you have 1-2 sets of true leaves. These results indicate that inoculation can increase AMF colonization over the background levels occurring in the soil, leading to higher rates of survival.Īrbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Artemisia tridentata Sagebrush steppe Seedling establishment Shrublands. They have one or two sets of true leaves. Several months after transplanting, average AMF colonization was in proportion 84 % higher in inoculated than non-inoculated seedlings (p = 0.0042), while the average risk of seedling mortality was 42 % lower in inoculated than non-inoculated seedlings (p = 0.047). The effectiveness of AMF inoculation on enhancing colonization and reducing seedling mortality varied among the different experiments, but average effects were estimated by meta-analyses.

In contrast, inoculation did not affect the δ (13)C values of fall transplanted seedlings that were collected the subsequent spring. A positive correlation between AMF colonization and δ (13)C values was observed in the spring mesocosm experiment. To investigate possible mechanisms by which AMF increased survival, we analyzed water use efficiency (WUE) based on foliar (13)C/(12)C isotope ratios (δ (13)C). In the field experiments, increased AMF colonization was associated with increases in survival during cold and dry periods 1 year after transplanting, survival of inoculated seedlings was 27 % higher than that of non-inoculated ones (p < 0.001). In the mesocosm experiments, inoculation increased survival during the summer by 24 % (p = 0.011). Five or 8 months after transplanting, colonization was about twofold higher in inoculated than non-inoculated seedlings, except for the spring field experiment. In spring and fall, 3-month-old seedlings were transplanted outdoors to 24-L pots containing soil from a sagebrush habitat (spring and fall mesocosm experiments) or to a recently burned sagebrush habitat (spring and fall field experiments). Seedlings were first grown in a greenhouse in soil without AMF (non-inoculated seedlings) or with AMF (inoculated seedlings).

wyomingensis (Wyoming big sagebrush) seedlings inoculated with native AMF. These phenomena were investigated in Artemisia tridentata ssp. It is important to keep new plantings and young plants well-watered as their root system. Inoculation of seedlings with AMF could alleviate this problem, but the success of this practice largely depends on the ability of the inoculum to multiply and colonize the growing root system after transplanting. New installations should always be watered immediately after planting. In arid environments, the propagule density of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may limit the extent of the plant-AMF symbiosis.

Water after transplanting seedlings