The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can promote plant tolerance to heavy metals and have been indicated for use in revegetation processes. The effect of native and introduced AMF on the growth of seedlings of Leucaena leucocephala on soils of caatinga biome impacted by copper mining (Mineração Caraíba, Jaguarari Municipality, Bahia State) was evaluated. The experiment was set up in a complete randomized design, in a 3 × 4 factorial arrangement, considering soil from preserved caatinga and substrates of a site from which the topsoil was removed and a site which received copper waste; and four inoculation treatments (uninoculated control, inoculated with Glomus etunicatum, Acaulospora longula, and a mixture of the two fungi), with five replicates. Independently of the inoculation treatment, the area where the topsoil was removed was more indicated for preparing the seedlings of leucaena, while the soil from the waste site was not suitable for growth of this plant and the establishment of mycorrhizal association. Although infective, G. etunicatum was not efficient in promoting growth of leucaena in the impacted areas, while the native AMF, A. longula and the mixture of fungi contributed to the development of the seedlings.
Arbuscular mycorrhiza; copper; disturbed area; leucaena
