Both “Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi” (AMF) strains will be tested in the field, on an experimental parcel that was prepared on the Industeel France ArcelorMittal site during the PHYSAFIMM project. This 50 m2 plot (10 * 5 m) has received composted sludge and has been sown in 2010. Its vegetation cover was close to 90 % in 2015. This parcel will be divided in thirty 1 m2 subplots randomly disposed, allowing ten replicates for three modalities:
- control without inoculation,
- inoculation with Funneliformis mosseae and,
- inoculation with Rhizofagus irregularis.
Plant growth and metal accumulation in above ground parts will be determined every year during the time course of the program. For this, three plots from each modality will be harvested in June of 2018, 2019, 2020 and analyzed for plant dry weigh and metal content. This experiment will complete data from laboratory experiments and should allow identifying the most efficient AMF strain, both for improving plant growth and decreasing metal accumulation.