Effect of Mycorrhizal Treatment on Growth of Acacia spp. On Sandy BRIS Soils in Peninsular Malaysia

Marginal soils such as BRlS (Beach Ridges Interspersed with Swales) soils and ex-tin mining land make up approximately 0.5 million ha or about 2% of Malaysia's land area. In the coastal areas of the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia impoverished sandy BRIS dominates the landscape with most lying idle as there is no national management plan for their utilization. A field study was carried out to see whether mycorrhizal application had any effect on the growth of three exotic Acacia spp., i.e. Acacia auriculiformis, A. mangium and Acacia hybrid (A. auriculiformis ${\times}$ A. mangium) on BRIS soils. Two types of mycorrhizal inoculum, namely, a commercially available arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculum marketed as $MycoGold^{TM}$ and an indigenous ectomycorrhizal Tomentella sp. inoculum were tested. In the initial six months, height growth of all three tree species inoculated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculum was significantly improved compared to the ectomycorrhizal inoculated and uninoculated control plants. The mycorrhizal effect was not evident thereafter and repeated application of the arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculum may be necessary for continued growth enhancement. Of the three species, A. mangium had the highest relative height growth rate over the 24 months on BRlS soils.