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Influences of three plant species on fertility of iron mine tailings contained vermicompost: experiment in greenhouse

Jun-ying Zhang1,2, Yong-li Xu1,2, Fu-ping Li1,2, Dong-yun Han1,2, Hui-jie Zheng1,2

1. College of Resources and Environment

Hebei United University Tangshan, China

junyingzh@126.com

2. Key Laboratory of Mining Development and Safety

Technology of Hebei Province Tangshan, China zy@heut.edu.cn

Abstract: The aim of this experiment is to test three plant species potential of growing in poor fertility and improving rhizosphere nutrient during iron mine tailings restoration. Three herbs, Zea diploperennis, Avena fatua and Lolium perenne, were cultured in pots with iron mine tailings under greenhouse. At the same time, cow manure vermicompost was applied into iron mine tailings to increase the plant survival in the experiment. Plant growth indicators, as the rate of emergency and survival, biomass of plant, nutrients contents of total and available N, P, and K in iron mine tailings, were determined in experiment of 30 days culture time. Data showed that Zea diploperennis grew better than Avena fatua and Lolium perenne as grown in mixture of iron mine tailing and 15%(v:v) vermicompost. The dry matter accumulation of Zea diploperennis was 62%, 282% and 99%, 614% significantly more than Avena fatua and Lolium perenne on shoot and root. Nutrients in iron mine tailing was different after three herbs harvested, which indicated that three plant species had different adaption to poor fertility by their absorption variety. The contents of nutrients in iron mine tailings applied cow manure vermicompost with Zea diploperennis were lower than other two species. It was indicated that Zea diploperennis had more adaption to the poor fertility and physical structure of iron mine tailings than other two species. It can be concluded that Zea diploperennis will be a better plant species in iron mine tailings especially as vermicompost applied.

Keywords- iron mine tailings, cow manure vermicompost, Zea diploperennis, nutrients, biomass

I. INTRODUCTION It was reported that there were about 8,000 national and

230,000 private mining plants in China. The destruction area due to mining was about 2,880,000 hm2, and the total area occupied by wastes from mining activities was up to 5,860,000 hm2, including forestland 1,060,000 hm2 and grassland 263,000 hm2[1]. As to mine tailings, there were about 1,500 mine tailings in China, and the quantity of mine tailings were about 5 billion tons in total. These solid waste, mine tailings, occupied large of land and caused air pollution, even threatened to the activities and survival of human and other organisms [2,3].

TABLE 1 CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBSTRATES USED IN EXPERIMENT Total

N (g/kg)

Total P(g/kg)

Total K

(g/kg)

Avaialble N

(mg/kg)

Olsen-P(mg/kg)

Abailable K (mg/kg)

Vermicompost 12.29 5.58 41.04 630.00 383.26 348.26 Iron mine

tailing 0.07 0.18 1.06 36.00 8.37 151.02

The aim of this research is to find a new way by which

the mine tailing will be improved to the state as their original vegetation condition. Plant rehabitation was demonstrated in lead-zinc mine tailings [4]. And some amendments were used to improve the property of mine tailing. For example, papermill sludge increased physicochemical parameters, such as organic carbon content, field capacity, and macro-agfregates in the 0.25mm size class, as applied into gold mine tailing in greenhouse condition [5]. Vermicompost of pig manure origin had stimulation on plant growth as applied into commercial potting substrate about 10% and 20% [6]. The objective of this research was to test the influence of cow manure vermicompost on three herbs, which grown in iron mine tailings, such as the plant growth, and changes of nutrients contents in iron mine tailings.

II. MATERIALS AND METHODS A. Culture Substrates and Plant Preparation

The experiment was conducted by pot under greenhouse. Substrate for plant growth was the mixture of iron mine tailings and fresh vermicompost at 15% v:v.

Iron mine tailings were provided by Malanzhuang Iron Mine Plant, Tangshan, Hebei province, China. The percentage of particle in size of 0.25mm was 43.04%. The moisture of iron mine tailings was 0.35%. Cow manure vermicompost was provided by Tianlong Earthworm Company, located in Fengrun District, Tangshan, Hebei province, China.

There was 1kg mixture in each pot for plants grow. The iron mine tailings air-dried was sieved through 2mm mesh. The fresh cow manure vermicompost was sieved by 2mm mesh too. The nutrients contents of vermicompost and iron mine tailings were summarized at table 1.

978-1-4244-5089-3/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE

0

20

40

60

80

100

Perc

enta

ge(%

)

Avena fatu Lolium perenne Zeadiploperennis

Emergency rate

Survival rate

Figure 1 Emergency and survival rate of three herbsas sown into iron mine tailing with vermicompost

Avena fatua Zea diploperennis Lolium perenne

Figure 2 Growth of plant in iron mine tailing

Three herbs, Avena fatua, Lolium perenne, Zea diploperennis, were planted in the mixture for tested the effects of plants growth on iron mine tailings restoration, especially the interaction of plants growth and nutrients of iron mine tailings. Avena fatua is weed in field and distributes widely in China. It is always live in humidity condition in soil. Lolium perenne is perennial forage grass for livestock. Zea diploperennis is a common annual forage grass which has widely adaption to soil and resistance to drought weather, and salt or poor fertility in soil condition.

Thirty seeds of each herb were sterilized 30min by H2O2 before germination. After emergency the seedlings were thinned to 10 seedlings in each pot. Four replicates were designed for every species.

B Determination of Growth Indicators During seedlings culture, the plant growth

factors were investigated such as emergency, survival rate, growth rate and biomass.

The 35-day seedlings shoot and root were harvested separately. The weight of seedling oven-dried was measured after 24h at 70℃followed 30min at 105℃. The iron mine tailings properties such as organic matter, and macronutrients such as total and available contents of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, were measured after 35-day seedlings harvested as described in Ref. [7].

C Statistical and Analysis Data measured in experiment were analyzed

statistically by one-way ANOVA using SAS8.2 (SAS Institute, 1999). The means of each indicator were statistically using Dunnett′s multiple range tests. Significance was defined at P<0.05.

III. RESULTS

A. Growth of Three Herbs on Iron Mine Tailings The emergency and survival rate of three herbs were

all over 70%, the sequences of both emergency and survival rate were Zea diploperennis ＞ Avena fatua ＞ Lolium perenne. The differences among three species

were significant at P<0.05 (Fig. 1). A large of roots were developed in iron mine tailing as Zea diploperennis grown which grew better than other two herbs.

The growth rate of three herbs had significantly difference until 31 days after emergency. Zea diploperennis growth rate was 46% and 51% faster than Avena fatua and Lolium perenne, respectively. It was indicated that Zea diploperennis was cable of adaption to poor fertility condition of iron mine tailing (Figure 2).

The fresh and dry weight of Zea diploperennis was the highest in three species. And the fresh weight of shoot and root were 98%, 315% and 95%, 846% significantly more than those of Avena fatua and Lolium perenne, respectively. And the dry weight of shoot and root were 62%, 282% and 99%, 614% significantly more than those of Avena fatua and Lolium perenne, respectively (Figure 3).

B. Nutrients Changes in Iron Mine Tailings The organic matter in soil was an indicator of soil

fertility. The organic matter content in mixture of vermicompost and iron mine tailing as grown Avena fatua increased 11.9% compared to substrate sample before planting which indicated that this species stimulated the release of nutrients in substrate. While the Lolium perenne and Zea diploperennis decreased organic matter content in mixture which was absorbed by plants root. And the Zea diploperennis decrease effect was less than Lolium perenne even it grew better than Lolium perenne.

The nitrogen of total and available contents in three mixture decreased comparing to that of in sample before planting. And the decrease percentages of total nitrogen were 24.1%, 19.3%, and 29.0% for Avena fatua, Lolium perenne, and Zea diploperennis, respectively. The decrease percentages of available nitrogen were 20.9%, 20.5%, and 23.4% for the three species as above. The absorption rate and content of Zea diploperennis on nitrogen was higher efficiency than other two species.

Figure 3 Biomass of three herbs as grown in iron minetailing. Fresh weight (a), dry weight (b). Differentletters on column mean significantly different amongthree herbs at shoot weight or root weight. P<0.05.

b

bc

c

a

a

0.00

2.00

4.00

6.00

8.00

10.00

12.00

14.00

16.00

Shoot Root

Fres

h w

eigh

t (g/

pot)

Avena fatuaLolium perenneZea diploperennis

b

bc

c

a

a

0.00

0.40

0.80

1.20

1.60

2.00

2.40

2.80

Shoot Root

Dry

wei

ght (

g/po

t)

Avena fatuaLolium perenneZea diploperennis

a

b

CK Avena fatua Lolium perenne Zeadiploperennis

TN

TP

TK0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

Tota

l con

tent

s (g/

kg)

Plant species

Nutrients

CK Avena fatua Lolium perenne Zeadiploperennis

AN

AP

AK0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

120.00

140.00

160.00

180.00

200.00

Ava

ilabl

e co

nten

ts (m

g/kg

)

Plant species

Nutrients

Figure 4 Contents of N, P, and K, total contents (a) and available contents (b), in iron mine tailings after three herbs harvested, CK(mixture before planting). TN-total nitrogen, TP-total phosphorus, TK-total potassium; AN-available nitrogen, AP-available phosphorus (Oslen-P), AK-available potassium.

a

b

Phosphorus content of total and available formations in

mixture were decreased at 28.0%, 9.7%, and 30.3% and 2.1%, 2.1%, and 7.4% for Avena fatua, Lolium perenne, and Zea diploperennis, respectively, comparing to the content of sample before planting. Avena fatua and Zea diploperennis had stronger absorption on phosphorus in substrate than Lolium perenne.

The absorption on soil potassium of three species were stronger than on nitrogen and phosphorus. Total and available contents of potassium in soil reduced at 33.3%, 29.3%, and 41.5% and 37.3%, 30.7%, and 52.5% for Avena fatua, Lolium perenne, and Zea diploperennis, respectively, compared to the contents before planting. It was indicated that large of potassium was required for three species in the experiment used. And the sequence of potassium requirement was Zea diploperennis > Avena fatua > Lolium perenne.

IV. DISCUSSION It was reported that vermicompost stimulated plant growth,

because it contains plant nutrients like N, P, K [8]. So it was used to improve the poor fertility of iron mine tailings in this experiment. The result indicated that the vermicompost increased nutrients in substrate of plant. And three plant species had different absorption ability on nutrients in substrate and the Zea diploperennis grew faster than other two species as vermicompost applied into iron mine tailings. The reason of why it grew better than other two plant species maybe its resistance to poor growth environment. On the other hand, cow manure vermicompost contains more nutrients and bacterial diversity [9], which stimulated nutrients release and absorption of plant root. Plant root growth acceleration by nutrients released from vermicompost stimulated nutrients decomposition and microbial numbers and diversity, which will be better for steadiness of

ecosystem of soil. The addition of vermicompost was another factor in

addition to plant species. The appropriate rate of vermicompost application was an important factor for plant growth in iron mine tailings. The restoration of iron mine tailings will take long time process and the cost during this time is necessarily considered. We will find a way of revegetation of iron mine tailings which is economic, fast, and ecological technology.

V. CONCLUSIONS Zea diploperennis was a species which was adapted

to iron mine tailings as cow manure vermicompost applied at 15% v:v. Zea diploperennis seedlings grew fast and accumulated more dry shoot and root matter at 62%, 282％ and 99%, 614% than Avena fatua and Lolium perenne seedlings. At the same time, it can absorb more nutrients in mixture of iron mine tailing and cow manure vermicompost, which will be benefit for its growth in field of iron mine tailing restoration.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT Authors thank the financial support by Science and

Technology Agency of Tangshan City (08120201D), Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province ( E2007000581), Science and Technology Agency of Hebei Province (09236716D), Doctoral Fund of Hebei United University (35358602), and the greenhouse provided by Key Laboratory of Tangshan City, and Key Laboratory of Mining Development and Safety Technology of Hebei Province.

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