Topsoiling, ripping, and fertilizing effects on tree growth and nutrition on calcareous minesoils

• Published in: Forest ecology and management 1998-04, Vol.103 (2), p.307-319
• Main Authors: Kost, David A., Vimmerstedt, John P., Brown, James H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Ammonium nitrate; Animal damage; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; APLICACION FOLIAR; APPLICATION FOLIAIRE; Applied ecology; Artificial regeneration. Forest nurseries. Planting; Biological and medical sciences; BROWSING DAMAGE; CAPA ARABLE DEL SUELO; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; COUCHE ARABLE; DANOS POR RAMONEO; DECOMBRES DE MINE; Deficiencies. Phytotoxicity of elements. Salinity; DEGAT DU AU BROUTAGE; Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration; ESCOMBRO DE MINERIA; FOLIAR APPLICATION; Foliar concentration; Forestry; FOSFATO MINERAL; FRAXINUS PENNSYLVANICA; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; MINE SPOIL; NUTRICION DE LAS PLANTAS; NUTRITION DES PLANTES; PHOSPHATE NATUREL; PINUS NIGRA; PINUS STROBUS; PLANT NUTRITION; PLATANUS OCCIDENTALIS; ROCK PHOSPHATE; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; Sowing and planting; SUPERFOSFATO; SUPERPHOSPHATE; TOP SOIL; Triple superphosphate
• ISSN: 0378-1127; 1872-7042
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-1127(97)00227-2

Tree survival, growth, and foliar nutrition were evaluated in two studies on coal minesoils in southeastern Ohio. A topsoiling-fertilizing study contrasted three constructed soil profiles (graded cast overburden, graded cast overburden under 30 cm of standard graded or ripped topsoil) and six phosphorus fertilizer treatments (0, 280, or 560 kgha −1 triple superphosphate, and 0, 1120, or 2240 kgha −1 rock phosphate). A ripping-fertilizing study used only graded cast overburden, ripped to 1.2 m depth or not ripped, and four fertilizer treatments (0 kgha −1 P and N, and 112 kgha −1 P in combination with 0, 168, or 336 kgha −1 N). Fertilizer treatments were in addition to fertilizers applied during ground cover seeding. After 7 years, overall tree survival was excellent for green ash ( Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) (91% survival) but poor for silver maple ( Acer saccharinum L.) (15–21%), sycamore ( Platanus occidentalis L.) (9%), and white pine ( Pinus strobus L.) (1%). Austrian pine ( Pinus nigra Arnold) survived moderately well in the topsoiling study (62%) but failed in the soil ripping study (0%). Deer browsing and rabbit cutting contributed to poor tree survival. In the topsoiling study, green ash was taller on both topsoil profiles (total height, 85 cm) than on cast overburden (64 cm). Austrian pine was also taller on standard topsoil (115 cm) and ripped topsoil (102 cm) than on cast overburden (64 cm). Tree performance was not improved by ripping topsoil in the topsoiling study or by ripping cast overburden in the soil ripping study. For comparable fertilizer treatments, gree ash grew better on cast overburden (ripped or not ripped) in the ripping study than on topsoils in the topsoiling study. Silver maple survived better (29% vs. 11%) and green ash was taller (126 cm vs. 101 cm) on plots that received both N and P than on plots that received no fertilizer. Fertilization with P alone was not effective. Foliar N concentrations in green ash (12.4–13.6 gkg −1 in the topsoiling study; 15.0–16.4 gkg −1 in soil ripping study) and Austrian pine (6.7–7.0 gkg −1 in topsoiling study) were much less than optimal. Of treatments tested, provision of adequate N by fertilizers appears to have the most potential for improving tree growth on these minesoils, but controlling animal damage would probably have a greater impact on survival and early growth than any fertilizer treatment.