Mycoremediation is an on-site remediation strategy, which employs fungi to degrade or
sequester contaminants from the environment. The present work focused on the bioremediation
of soils contaminated with zinc by the use of a native mycorrhizal fungi (AM) called
Funneliformis geosporum (Nicol. & Gerd.) Walker & SchuÈ ûler. Experiments were performed
using Triticum aestivum L. cv. Gemmeza-10 at different concentrations of Zn (50, 100, 200
mg kg-1) and inoculated with or without F. geosporum. The results showed that the dry
weight of mycorrhizal wheat increased at Zn stressed plants as compared to the non-Znstressed
control plants. The concentrations of Zn also had an inhibitory effect on the yield
of dry root and shoot of non-mycorrhizal wheat. The photosynthetic pigment fractions were
significantly affected by Zn treatments and mycorrhizal inoculation, where in all treatments,
the content of the photosynthetic pigment fractions decreased as the Zn concentration
increased in the soil. However, the level of minerals of shoots, roots, and grains was greatly
influenced by Zn-treatment and by inoculation with F. geosporum. Treatment with Zn in the
soil increased Cu and Zn concentrations in the root, shoot and grains, however, other minerals
(P, S, K, Ca and Fe) concentration was decreased. Inoculation of wheat with AM fungi
significantly reduced the accumulation of Zn and depressed its translocation in shoots and
grains of wheat. In conclusion, inoculation with a native F. geosporum-improves yields of
wheat under higher levels of Zn and is possible to be applied for the improvement of zinc
contaminated soil.