Phytoremediation of Mercury Contaminated Soils by <i>Swietenia macrophylla</i> Inoculated with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (<i>Acaulospora</i> sp.)

The high mercury (Hg) content in tailings from artisanal gold mining areas requires efforts to reduce or overcome the effects of contaminants through remediation. A widely used bioremediation technique in developing countries is phytoremediation because it is considered efficient and can be applied in the long term. Phytoremediation can run more effectively with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) support. This study aimed to analyze the ability of S. macrophylla inoculated with AMF in Hg phytoremediation. The experimental design used in this study was a split-plot design. The treatment tested was AMF inoculation, which consisted of six levels: Without AMF, Acaulospora sp.1, Acaulospora sp.2, Acaulospora sp.3, Acaulospora sp.4, and Acaulospora sp.5. The planting medium used was tailings from artisanal gold mining areas which contained 42.61 ppm Hg. S. macrophylla leaves inoculated with Acaulospora sp. 4 have the ability to absorb Hg greater than plants inoculated with other types of AMF. The leaves of plants inoculated with AMF type Acaulospora sp. 4 absorbed 28.65% more Hg than the control treatment. S. macrophylla plants inoculated with Acaulospora sp. 4 produced the highest percentage of AMF colonization with plants inoculated with other types of AMF.