Pedosphere 13(4): 299--308, 2003
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2003 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
Effect of different amendments on ryegrass growth in copper mine tailings
HAO Xiu-Zhen1, ZHOU Dong-Mei1, WANG Yu-Jun1, CANG Long1 and CHEN Huai-Man
Institute of Soil Science, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China). E-mail: xzhao@issas.ac.cn
ABSTRACT
      Montmorillonite, rice straw, organic manure and chemical fertilizer were used as amendment materials for copper mine tailings, and their effects on mine tailing pH, nutrients and metal availability to ryegrass were investigated. Chemical fertilization was the most effective one in improving ryegrass growth in mine tailings among the amendment materials examined. It was found that montmorillonite raised biomass of ryegrass at the 1st and 2nd cuts, but it did not give further positive effects at the 3rd and 4th cuts. The effect of organic materials on ryegrass growth was not so good as expected, mainly due to their slow decomposition in mine tailings with less soil microorganisms. Available Cu and Zn contents in mine tailings decreased in the presence of montmorillonite but increased when rice straw and organic manure were used as amendments. Cu and Zn contents in ryegrass decreased with increasing the rate of montmorillonite application but increased with the rate of rice straw. Zn showed much stronger mobility from soil to ryegrass than Cu, and almost all the available N and P in mine tailings, except for the treatments with organic manure, were completely consumed after ryegrass had grown in mine tailings for more than four months and been harvested for four times. Owing to its large biomass and high metal uptake, ryegrass is a potential plant for remediation of metal contaminated soils in practice.
Key Words:  amendment, metal availability, mine tailings, remediation, ryegrass
Citation: Hao, X. Z., Zhou, D. M., Wang, Y. J., Cang, L. and Chen, H. M. 2003. Effect of different amendments on ryegrass growth in copper mine tailings. Pedosphere. 13(4): 299-308.
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