Litterfall, litter decomposition and nutrient release in five exotic plant species planted on coal mine spoils

doi:10.1078/0031-4056-00088

Pedobiologia

Volume 45, Issue 4, 2001, Pages 298-312

https://doi.org/10.1078/0031-4056-00088 Get rights and content

Summary

Litterfall, leaf litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics (N, P, K and Ca) were studied for four years in old plantations of five exotic plant species namely Acacia auriculiformis, Cassia siamea, Casuarina equisetifolia, Eucalyptus hybrid and Gravelia pteridifolia growing on coal mine spoil. Maximum litterfall on mine spoil was found during cooler and drier seasons than in to the hotter and moist. Total litterfall was maximum for G. pteridifolia and minimum for C. siamea. Litter of different plant species showed variations in their decomposition. The mean relative decomposition rate was maximum in the rainy season and minimum during summer. The concentrations of N and P increased, whereas K and Ca decreased in decomposing litter with increasing retrieval days. Mass loss was negatively correlated with N and P concentrations, whereas the same was positively correlated with K and Ca. Maximum litter decomposition rate was recorded for C. siamea, whereas G. pteridifolia showed the slowest decomposition rate. The plant species A. auriculiformis, E. hybridand C. equisetifolia were found to be most suitable for planting on mine spoils as these have led to the most balanced nutrient cycling with both moderate litter deposition and decomposition rates.

References (45)

J.R. Bray et al.
Litter production in forest of the world
Advances in Ecological Research
(1964)
S.E. Allen et al.
Chemical analysis of ecological materials
(1974)
J.M. Anderson et al.
Ecological studies in four contrasting lowland rain forests in Gunung Mulu National Park Sarawak
Journal of Ecology
(1983)
P.M. Attiwill
The loss of elements from decomposing litter
Ecology
(1967)
R.G.S. Bidwell
Plant Physiology
(1974)
J. Bloomfield et al.
Decay rate and substrate quality of fine roots and foliage of two tropical tree species in Luquillo Experimental forest, Puerto Rico
Plant and Soil
(1993)
K.S. Bocock
Changes in the amount of nitrogen in decomposing leaf litter of sessile oak (Quercus petraea)
Journal of Ecology
(1963)
K.S. Bocock et al.
Changes in leaf litter when placed on the surface of soils with contrasting humus types. I. Losses in dry weights of oak and ash leaf litter
Journal of Soil Science
(1960)
A.M. Cundell
The role of microorganisms in the revegetation of strip mined lands 1. the western United States
Journal of Range Management
(1977)
D.L. DeAngelis et al.
Productivity of forest ecosystems studied during the IBP: the woodland data set

N.J. Dix et al.

Fungal Ecology

A.P. Dobson et al.

Hopes for the future: restoration ecology and conservation biology

Science

(1997)

Dutta, R.K. (1999) Performance and impact of selected exotic plant species on coal mine spoil. Ph. D. Thesis, Banaras...

J.M. Facelli et al.

Plant litter: its dynamics and effects on plant community structure

Botanical Review

(1991)

M. Falca

The role of earthworms in decomposition process

Revue Roumains de Biologie — Biologie Animale

(1992)

A. Gallardo et al.

Leaf decomposition in two mediterranean ecosystems of southwest Spain: influence of substrate quality

Ecology

(1993)

D. Gillon et al.

Initial litter properties and decay rate: A microcosm experiment on Mediterranean species

Canadian Journal of Botany

(1994)

S.R. Gupta et al.

Litter dynamics and nutrient turnover in a mixed deciduous forest

A.P. Harrison

Microbial succession and mineral leaching in an artificial coal spoil

Applied and Environmental Microbiology

(1978)

A.K. Jha et al.

Spoil characteristics and vegetation of an age series of mine spoils in a dry tropical environment

Vegetatio

(1991)

A.K. Jha et al.

Rehabilitation of mine spoils

Kumar, A. (1998) Dynamics of VA-mycorrhizae in revegetated coalmine spoil. Ph. D. Thesis, Banaras Hindu University,...

Cited by (73)

Influence of input litter quality and quantity on carbon storage in post-mining forest soil after 14 years of reclamation
2022, Ecological Engineering
Reclamation of post mining soils by planting trees is of great research interest due to its potential to stabilize mine soils and sequester atmospheric carbon (C). However there are knowledge gaps regarding the effect of different litter quality and biomass on the C sequestration vis-à-vis molecular characterization of soil organic carbon (SOC) in reclaimed mine soils. Hence, an experiment was conducted to determine the effect of litter quality, quantity, and leaf litter decomposition rate on the quality and quantity of carbon sequestered after 14 years of restoration by three representative plant species (Azadirachta indica, Dalbergia sissoo, and Gmelina arborea) which have been frequently used for revegetation of post-mining sites in India. Results indicate that significant amounts of carbon accumulated under different tree species (47.44, 42.34, and 20.17 Mg C ha⁻¹ under A. indica, D. sissoo, and G. arborea plantations resepctively) as compared to recent dump. Decomposition rate constant had a significant relationship with C/N ratio and nitrogen (N) content and therefore tree species (A. indica) with high C/N, lignin/N ratios, and low N content had a significantly lower decomposition rate constant thereby sequestering more carbon, making it the tree species of choice. Among the three tree species studied, G. arborea witnessed the highest litterfall (4635 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) but had the lowest SOC stock due to the highest decomposition rate constant (0.00229), which established the fact that composition of leaf litter rather than total litterfall played a significant role in carbon sequestration. Furthermore, spectroscopic methods (UV–vis and FTIR) could clearly distinguish differences in functional groups and molecularity of the humic acids derived from plant species of different resource quality and hence can be effectively used in studying the quality of C sequestered.
Ecological performances of exotic and native woody species on coal mine spoil in Indian dry tropical region
2022, Ecological Engineering
Coal extraction by opencast mining involves the dumping of overburden or mine spoil as large heaps. These large heaps of overburdened materials can act as a serious threat to ecological integrity and, therefore, overall societal well-being. Plantations are often employed to establish revegetation and management of mine spoil, thus mitigating the effects of mining on the environment. However, the performance of plant species can be highly variable due to environmental and species-specific effects. Therefore, the present paper's primary objective is to compare exotic (Acacia auriculiformis, Cassia siamea, Casuarina equisetifolia and Grevillea pteridifolia) and native (Albizia lebbeck, Albizia procera, Dendrocalamus strictus and Tectona grandis) species' performance on the coal mine spoils. Previous studies on the Singrauli coalfields allowed us to compare the growth performance, standing biomass, and net primary production (NPP) of four exotic and four native species plantations. Our results showed that native species have significantly higher survival, stem diameter, biomass, and NPP than exotic woody plantations. Thus, exotic species might not be useful in mine spoil rehabilitation than the native species. Overall, this study suggests that native species are useful for mine spoil rehabilitation despite the faster growth of exotic species.
Relationships between N, P, and K in corn biomass for assessing the carryover effects of winter pasture to corn
2021, European Journal of Agronomy
Pasture fertilization may influence the subsequent corn crop in integrated crop-livestock systems, but few tools exist to assess the likelihood and magnitude of this carryover effect. Our goals were to determine whether a previous pasture with N fertilization could supply adequate N nutrition to a succeeding corn crop and affect its P and K nutrition using the concept of N dilution curve and relationships between N, P, and K in corn shoot biomass. The experiment consisted in a winter grazed pasture followed by a corn crop in summer. Treatments were N fertilization of a black oat (Avena strigosa) winter pasture (0 and 200 kg N ha⁻¹) as main plots and four sidedress N fertilization rates (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg N ha⁻¹) applied to corn as sub-plots in a randomized complete block design with split-plot restriction. The N nutrition index, that is, the ratio of observed shoot N concentrations to critical N concentration determined by a critical N dilution curve, adequately identified situations of deficient N nutrition in corn following a pasture with or without N fertilization. This carryover effect from a winter pasture should therefore be accounted for in N fertilizer recommendations for corn in tropical soils. Corn P nutrition, based on critical P concentrations derived as a function of N concentration, was nearly optimal when no N was applied to the pasture, but it was less than optimal when N was applied. Although no critical K curves have been published, our results confirm that the relationship between shoot K and N concentrations varies with the level of N nutrition as does the relationship between shoot P and N concentrations. Our results confirm that the concept of critical N and P concentrations serves as a useful reference to assess the status of N and P nutrition during corn growth in tropical soils with the potential to improve nutrient management of corn following a pasture in an integrated crop-livestock system.
Application of microorganisms in forest plant
2021, Biofertilizers: Volume 1: Advances in Bio-inoculants
To a much lesser extent than the agricultural field, so far some research has been conducted on the interactions and applicability of soil microorganisms in woody and forestry plants. In this chapter, we review some of these studies and future potential, in order to solve immediate environmental problems.
In a first section, we briefly review those types of soil microorganisms that have been most frequently studied or applied in woody or tree plant; we begin perhaps with those most important for trees, the mycorrhizal fungi, both endo and ectomycorrhizal fungi; subsequently N-fixing microorganisms, mainly both nodule-forming (Rhizobia and Frankia), and free-living bacteria, such as Azospirillum. We do not forget the different experiences made with combinations of those types of microorganisms and their combined benefits and applications on the tree plant.
In a second section, we deal more directly with those human actions, in the forestry and environmental field, where soil microorganisms have been applied to improve these actions, mainly in reforestation, environmental restoration, bioremediation, and biocontrol.
Planted forests for open coal mine spoils rehabilitation in Colombian drylands: Contributions of fine litterfall through an age chronosequence
2019, Ecological Engineering
Citation Excerpt :
We found higher FL values at the older rehabilitation sites, which was in line with our initial hypothesis that the fine litterfall contribution to the soil organic matter will increase over time. The highest production of FL was obtained at the 21-year-old site and in the mature forest, which represent intermediate values when compared to the records of other dry and very dry tropical forest ecosystems (0.1–5.7 Mg ha−1 year−1, Maya and Arriaga, 1996; Sundarapandian and Swamy, 1999; Dutta and Agrawal, 2001; Singh et al., 2004; Kalácska et al., 2005; Descheemaeker et al., 2006; Abugre et al., 2011; Restrepo et al., 2013; Sánchez-Silva et al., 2018). Values obtained at the 7-year-old site (1.1 Mg ha−1 year−1) were similar to those reported by Singh et al. (1999) from a coal mine spoil in India in 5-year-old plantations of Shorea robusta Gaertner f. (1.2 Mg ha−1 year−1) but lower than those of other planted tree species (2.2–3.6 Mg ha−1 year−1) reported in the same study.
The contributions of organic matter via fine litterfall to the soil were evaluated in three sites that were rehabilitated 7, 10, and 21 years earlier, respectively, located in an opencast coalmine at El Cerrejón (La Guajira, Colombia). We placed forty litterfall traps in four plots at each reclaimed site and in a tropical dry mature forest, which was used as a reference ecosystem. Fine litterfall (including woody material up to 2 cm in length) was collected monthly from October 2013 to November 2014. Values for the highest fine litterfall recorded in the 21-year-old site (2.3 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) were more than double those recorded in the 7-year-old site (1.1 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹). Soil carbon and nitrogen contents were greater in the rehabilitated sites than in the unrestored substrate. Soil phosphorus (P) increased significantly 7 years after rehabilitation. The high return of organic matter and nutrients via fine litterfall in the three rehabilitated sites suggests that the rehabilitation approach employed in this opencast coalmine was successful in terms of enriching soil organic matter content and nutrient status and that it could serve as a model for the rehabilitation of similarly degraded mining habitats.
Application of Soil Quality Indicators for the Phytorestoration of Mine Spoil Dumps
2019, Phytomanagement of Polluted Sites: Market Opportunities in Sustainable Phytoremediation
Mining causes drastic land disturbances. Many soil functions and properties are greatly affected. Mining is a temporary activity and after the completion of a mining project the land can be reclaimed and some of the soil’s quality and functions restored. Monitoring the changes in soil quality helps assess the success of reclamation and identify necessary amendments, and in the selection of suitable tree species for remediation. Soil quality monitoring can be achieved over time by measuring a few key soil indicator parameters successively. Various protocols exist for identifying appropriate soil quality indicators. Principal component analysis is a useful multivariate analysis tool for selecting soil indicator parameters. Once the indicators are identified, the indicator parameters are transformed into unitless scores (0–1) using scoring functions. Finally, the soil scores are integrated into soil quality indices. The index values are validated by regression with end-point variables like plant canopy, tree density, and total biomass, etc. In this chapter, the application of soil quality indicators for the phytorestoration of mine spoil is discussed through analyses of several case studies.

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

Litterfall, litter decomposition and nutrient release in five exotic plant species planted on coal mine spoils

Summary

Advances in Ecological Research

Chemical analysis of ecological materials

Ecological studies in four contrasting lowland rain forests in Gunung Mulu National Park Sarawak

Journal of Ecology

The loss of elements from decomposing litter

Ecology

Plant Physiology

Decay rate and substrate quality of fine roots and foliage of two tropical tree species in Luquillo Experimental forest, Puerto Rico

Plant and Soil

Changes in the amount of nitrogen in decomposing leaf litter of sessile oak (Quercus petraea)

Journal of Ecology

Changes in leaf litter when placed on the surface of soils with contrasting humus types. I. Losses in dry weights of oak and ash leaf litter

Journal of Soil Science

The role of microorganisms in the revegetation of strip mined lands 1. the western United States

Journal of Range Management

Productivity of forest ecosystems studied during the IBP: the woodland data set

Fungal Ecology

Hopes for the future: restoration ecology and conservation biology

Science

Plant litter: its dynamics and effects on plant community structure

Botanical Review

The role of earthworms in decomposition process

Revue Roumains de Biologie — Biologie Animale

Leaf decomposition in two mediterranean ecosystems of southwest Spain: influence of substrate quality

Ecology

Initial litter properties and decay rate: A microcosm experiment on Mediterranean species

Canadian Journal of Botany

Litter dynamics and nutrient turnover in a mixed deciduous forest

Microbial succession and mineral leaching in an artificial coal spoil

Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Spoil characteristics and vegetation of an age series of mine spoils in a dry tropical environment

Vegetatio

Rehabilitation of mine spoils