Rooting-depth of Atriplex canescens (fourwing saltbush) in mine spoils at the Navajo Mine, northwestern New Mexico

Conference · Mon Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:56936

Stutz, H C ^[1]; Buchanan, B A ^[2]

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1. Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT (United States)
2. New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM (United States)

The distribution of roots was determined for fourteen mature plants of Atriplex canescens (fourwing saltbush) growing on mine spoils at the Navajo Mine in northwestern New Mexico and for two plants growing in contiguous unmined native soil. In all instances the amount of roots, by length, was negatively correlated with depth and positively correlated with percent water-content of the soils. The majority of roots (59%) were in the upper 100 cm; 72% were in the upper 150 cm; and 84% were in the upper 200 cm. These percentages were higher for plants growing on backslopes (64%, 77% and 88%, respectively) and much higher for those growing in native soils (84%, 93% and 96%, respectively). Most of the roots (83%) were less than 0.1 mm in diameter, and 93% were less than 0.5 mm in diameter. Plants growing in topsoiled sites had more roots per unit volume of soil (1.3 cm per cc of soil) than those growing in non-topsoiled sites (1.1 cm per cc of soil). Those growing in backslopes had more roots (1.3 cm per cc of soil) than growing in swales (1.0 cm per cc of soil) and those growing in soils that contained no fly-ash had more (0.78 cm per cc) than those growing in soils that contain fly ash (0.12 cm per cc of soil). Plants growing in native soils had a greater proportion of their roots near the surface than plants growing in mined soils. Plants growing in swales had a greater proportion of their roots below two meters than plants growing on backslopes.

• OSTI ID: 56936
• Report Number(s): CONF-9003298--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
ARID LANDS
COAL MINES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
LAND RECLAMATION
MOISTURE
PLANT GROWTH
REVEGETATION
ROOTS
SOILS
SPOIL BANKS