Abstract: The ability of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to improve soil physical and chemical characteristics, regulate soil microorganism community and rehabilitate degraded soil were assessed. The recent development of urban construction and tourism, especially the increase in mobile suburban populations has resulted in compaction of suburban land soil resulting in negative effects on plant growth. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the ability of AMF and Festuca elata to rehabilitate compacted soil. A greenhouse experiment was carried out with F. elata inoculated with either Funneliformis mosseae or Rhizophagus intraradices, or both, under different soil bulk densities; 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 g·cm^-3. The results showed that inoculation with both F. mosseae+R. intraradices incresed soil water content by 38%, porosity by 9%, soil fungi by 166%, of soil bacteria by 64%, soil actinocyces by 127%, available potassium by 123%, available phosphorus by 176%, invertase activity by 271%, urease activity by 249%, catalase activity by 98% and polyphenol oxidase activity by 268%. Extractable glomalin-related soil protein content and total glomalin-related soil protein content were 3.4 and 3.8 times higher than that of the control, respectively, and reduced soil compaction and pH by 9% and 7.6% respectively compared to the control when initial soil bulk density was 1.5 g·cm^-3. It was concluded that the F. mosseae+R. intraradices+tall fescue combination had the greatest effect on improving soil physical and chemical properties, soil microbe community, nutrient availability, increasing soil enzyme activity and glomalin content; this suggests that this treatment combination has good potential improvement of suburban garden soil.

Key words: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, soil compaction, soil nutrients, glomalin, soil enzyme activity