Plantation soil inoculation combined with straw checkerboard barriers enhances ectomycorrhizal colonization and subsequent growth of nursery grown Pinus tabulaeformis seedlings in a dryland

Aeolian desertification is the dominant form of land degradation in drylands. The straw checkerboard barrier (SCB) method is effective for sand fixation and has been used to combat aeolian desertification in China. Soil inoculation with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi can help restore degraded lands by improving the soil microbial community and steering plant community development. Combining SCB with afforestation via planting ECM trees and...