Effect of selected soil conditioners on soil properties, erosion, runoff, and rye growth in nonfertile acid soil

Abstract

Construction operations result in highly disturbed soil, vulnerable to erosion, excess runoff, and sediment loads. Limited information exists about effects of soil amendment-based erosion and runoff mitigation practices in low fertility acidic sites. The current study evaluates the use of 20 kg ha⁻¹ polyacrylamide (PAM), 0.3 kg ha⁻¹ ammonium laureth sulfate (ALS), 5,000 kg ha⁻¹ fluidized bed combustion residue (FBC), and 5,000 kg ha⁻¹ coal-fired power plant by-product gypsum (GYP) in reducing erosion and runoff from a disturbed, acidic, dystrophic Appalachian soil. Study plots of 1 m by 1 m, arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications, were established on an abandoned grassland hillside in southern West Virginia. Plots were rototilled before annual surface applications of each of the above materials and that of FBC plus PAM, for four consecutive years, starting in 1996. In the fourth year, Wheeler rye grass was broadcast on the plots. Sediment, runoff, and soil and runoff chemical composition were monitored during a period of two to four months after application. No significant differences were found between ALS treatment and control (where no additive was applied). By the fourth year, the FBC-containing treatments had increased soil pH by an average of one pH unit, which resulted in improved plant nutritional status and biomass production. Mean runoff concentrations of calcium (Ca) for the four years averaged 236 mg L⁻¹ compared to 6 mg L⁻¹ in the control. FBC decreased zinc (Zn) concentrations in runoff by nearly four-fold compared to the control. Gypsum addition resulted in even greater increases in runoff concentration of Ca and sulfur (S), but effects on soil pH and plant biomass were not significantly different from the control. No differences in runoff volume among any of the treatments were observed during the first year, yet in general, FBC-containing treatments decreased runoff for the remainder of the experiment. In the fourth year, after seeding with Wheeler rye grass, the FBC-containing treatments reduced runoff by up to 51% and sediment by 37% compared to the control. FBC + PAM was found to be the most effective treatment in enhancing plant growth and reducing sediment and runoff on the tested soil.