Premining evaluation of forage grass growth on mine soil materials from an east-central Texas lignite site: 2. soil profile horizons
Several warm-season forage grasses and a cool-season pasture mix of oats plus clover were grown in a greenhouse on mixtures of soil profile horizon materials from an unmined lignite site in east-central Texas and then evaluated as to the suitability of the various soil materials for selective placement over regraded lignite mine spoil during land reclamation. Mixtures of the clayey subsoil horizon materials with the sandy loam topsoil (A horizon) produced soils that had sandy clay loam textures. Whereas the topsoil had a pH of 6.3 and an electrical conductivity of 0.2 millimhos per centimeter, the pH of the soil mixtures ranged from 5.1 to 6.0, and the conductivities from 0.3 to 1.7 mmho/cm. Dry matter production was greater on the topsoil during early stages of plant growth, especially where no fertilizer was added. Differences among soils declined with fertilizer application and degree of plant establishment through successive harvests. Chemical analysis of plant tissue showed adequate uptake of added nitrogen and phosphorus plus indigenous iron, manganese, and zinc from all soils. There were no indications of physical or chemical properties that would adversely affect forage growth on any of the soils. I concluded that, given an adequate regime of water and nutrient supply, the various mixtures of soil profile horizon materials evaluated had the same potential for forage grass production as the genetic topsoil that occurred on the mine site. Any one or a combination of them could probably be used successfully in selective placement over mine spoil for revegetation. Because short-term greenhouse studies may not account for agronomic problems that might arise due to weathering of previously unexposed subsurface soil profile materials, these conclusions are currently being field tested.
- Research Organization:
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, Temple, TX
- OSTI ID:
- 5878355
- Journal Information:
- Soil Sci.; (United States), Vol. 135:4
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GRASS
PLANT GROWTH
REVEGETATION
EVALUATION
SPOIL BANKS
SURFACE MINING
LAND RECLAMATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CLOVER
COAL MINING
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
FORAGE
GREENHOUSES
LIGNITE
OATS
PH VALUE
SITE SURVEYS
SOILS
TEXAS
WEATHERING
ANIMAL FEEDS
BROWN COAL
BUILDINGS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CEREALS
COAL
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION VI
FOOD
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GRAMINEAE
GROWTH
LEGUMINOSAE
MATERIALS
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLANTS
USA
010900* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Environmental Aspects
510500 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)