RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Revegetation of mined land: Influence of topsoil depth and mulching method
JF Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
FD Soil and Water Conservation Society
SP 249
OP 252
VO 40
IS 2
A1 Schuman, G. E.
A1 Taylor, E. M.
A1 Rauzi, F.
A1 Pinchak, B. A.
YR 1985
UL http://www.jswconline.org/content/40/2/249.abstract
AB Land disturbance from more extensive surface mining in the Northern Great Plains poses the question of how much topsoil (A and B horizon) material is necessary to restore these sites. The effect of topsoil depth and mulching method on the forage production of seeded species was investigated on reclaimed uranium lands in Wyoming between 1977 and 1982. Water infiltration and storage were also tested. In the fall of 1977, on plots with topsoil depths of 0, 200, 400, and 600 mm, a mixture of three wheatgrass species and green needlegrass was seeded directly into barley stubble and fallow plots mulched with 5 t/ha−1 of barley straw. Forage production by these seeded species from 1979 through 1982 generally was greater on plots with 400 or 600 mm topsoil that had been established with stubble mulch, compared to those with straw mulch. With 400 and 600 mm of topsoil, infiltration increased from 1979 to 1982, suggesting that the soil physical characteristics improved because of plant root penetration into the soil. Stubble-mulched plots exhibited significantly greater infiltration than straw-mulched plots at the 600-mm topsoil depth in all years.