Characteristics of fabricated soil for landscape rehabilitation: The four crop test for biological activity

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1 (2): 79-85, 2008 istanbul Kultur University, Printed in Turkey Charateristis of fabriated soil for landsape rehabilitation: The four rop test for biologial ativity Valentin Kefeli 1 * Christopher Leininger 2 Shari Mastalski 2 Kimberly Pinin Slippery Rok University, Slippery Rok PA 16057, USA Dept. of Parks, Rereation and Enviroment Siene, Slippery Rok University, Slippery Rok PA 16057, USA Abstrat Fabriated soil (FS) is a mixture of substrates ontaining balaned amounts of arbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and mineral elements that support plant growth. In our experiments, we use FS for the rehabilitation of land from mining soil pollutants. Charateristis of fabriated soil were determined inluding measurements of N, P, K; other nutritive elements inluding Mg, Ca, S, and Fe; and miro-elements and toxi elements inluding Mn, Zn, Al, Ni, and Pb. Also, mirobial ativity of the soil was tested to determine fungal and baterial presene. After investigating these soil harateristis, we used a four-rop test to investigate fabriated soils and related substrates for biologial ativity. Soil health inludes a balane of mineral and organi elements and healthy mirobial ativity. These harateristis play the key role in the soil's ability to support the growth of higher plants whih omplete the regenerative proess of soil yling. Healthy soils provide materials for food, energy, and shelter. Healthy soils are ruial to all biologial, geologial, and water yles. Introdution The present study is a ontinuation of researh at the Center of Restoration of Biologial Cyles whih is loated in Jennings Environmental Eduation Center, Slippery Rok, PA. At the Center, mining site restoration is the fous for integrative studies of regeneration of water and soil yles as well as shelter onstrution. As part of the study of soil restoration in mine damaged areas, native soil profiles were studied for Western Pennsylvania Gresham Soil (Kefeli et al., 2006). Soils were then fabriated and observed for qualities neessary to restore mine damaged areas. Native and fabriated soils were analyzed for mineral and organi ontent and mirobial ativity. The four rop test was done to determine the ability of the various soils to support plant growth. The ability for soils to support life depends on the availability of nutritive maro- and miro-elements and also on protetion from toxi elements. The presene of fungi and bateria is an indiator of soil health. These organisms play important roles in the sustainability of soils and the soil's relationship with the plants it supports. Previous work by Kefeli et al. (2006) analyzed soil for mirobial ativity and elemental onentrations. These studies ompared fabriated, forest, and mining soil samples. In addition, these studies revealed hanges over the ourse of five years in levels of nutritive elements in fabriated soils. Key words: Fabriated soil, four-rop test * Correspondene Author: 329 North Main Street, Slippery Rok, PA 16057, , USA valentin@pathway.net Reeived: Otober 22, 2008; Aepted: November 11, 2008

80 Four roptest or biologial ativity Kefeli et al BIOLOGICAL CYCLES RESTORATION Figure 1. The Center of Restoration of Biologial Cyles restores soil, water, and shelter yles.

2 80 Four roptest or biologial ativity Kefeli et al BIOLOGICAL CYCLES RESTORATION Figure 1. The Center of Restoration of Biologial Cyles restores soil, water, and shelter yles. Materials and methods Four rop test First we determined the most appropriate vessel hoie for our experiment with a preliminary experiment using Koh dishes, Petri dishes, and flasks. The Koh dishes had nearly 100 % germination rate. We did the four rop test in both Koh dishes and Petri dishes. A irle of filter paper was plaed in the bottom of eah dish. On top of the paper a Styrofoam ross was plaed to divide the four varieties of seeds. Soil was plaed in the dishes. Eah ontainer reeived 20 ml of sink water whih measured a ph of One variety of seed was plaed in eah quadrant of the dishes. We used turnip, lettue, rye, and lover to determine the ability of the soils to support plant growth. The soils were forest soil, restored soil from the DeSale restoration site, fabriated soil from the Jennings restoration site, and mining soil. After one week, the five longest shoots of eah seed variety were measured and averaged. A perentage was determined based on the growth of the seedlings on the forest soil. Observations The seedlings in the Koh dishes had nearly 100 % germination. The Petri dishes dried out, dereasing germination and growth. However, the mining soil in the Petri dish remained wet and grew mold. The seedlings grew suessfully in the Koh dishes. Compared to the forest soils as ontrols, the seedling growth in the other soils varied from 76 % to 114 %. The exeption to this is the mining soil whih had a ph of 4.3, signifiantly lower than the other samples whih averaged 6.7. The growth rates in the mining soil ranged from 13 % to 40 % ompared with the ontrol averages.

3 Four roptest or biologial ativity Kefeli et al S S 1500 & u «i Si in E; í=! ss r 5! if a 5_ (D 0 5 tf CTI CM CO g S t: w CM CM. r ñ. m. Figure 2. Forest Soil 27, Chestnut Projet Front Right Side Side Mn totre i ~ o e S 8000 s o u o8s 88 rooo CM T-O) COLO-* o d «COW' - sa N-CD CO lixol^j oi^jo OCM<2 CO COCOCNJ ooqm oir^? -Cs CM pi 1 qo) CM-* m-* om o CO mat oo S * * X? r # ^ ^ ^ oa Figure 3. De Sale 27

4 82 Four roptest or biologial ativity Kefeli et al Seeds Plot - Chestnut Projet Trees Plot COOT ens. CM un 2500 E sa 1000 oo eng oip to I*- 500 m Figure 4. Fabriated Soil ? 2500 Oí g I n / I J 1 Figure S. Mining Soil 2007

Four roptest or biologial ativity Kefeli et al 83 3500 3000 28670.15 26396.39 2500 E 2000 1500 1000 8761.34 500 6792.

5 Four roptest or biologial ativity Kefeli et al E n / / / ^ / / Figure 6. Montana Soil standart (Conti).

6 84 Four roptest or biologial ativity Kefeli et al Table 1. Comparative growth of turnip, lettue, rye, and lover in various soils in Koh dishes. Numbers represent average length of shoots in entimeters. Perentages are measured from the average of the forest soils as 100 %. FOUR-CROP TEST IN KOCH DISHES SAMPLES ph CROPS Turnip Lettue Rye Clover 1. Forest Soil ph Chestnut Projet One 2. Forest Soil ph Chestnut Projet Two Avg. Forest Soil 4.9 = 100 % 3.8 = 100 % 8.0 = 100 % 4.4 = 100 % 3. De Sale Front (%) ph De Sale Right (%) ph FS Seed Plot ph Chestnut Projet (%) FS Trees plot (%) ph De Sale Mn (%) ph Mining Soil (%) ph Results The mining soil ontains less nitrogen in omparison with the fabriated soil. The Phosphorus level was four times less in the mining soil than in the fabriated soil (FS). Potassium level was similar. Mining soil ontains muh less Ca and Mg than FS. The dynamis of hange of these elements shows that FS, in five years, lost part of its Phosphorus pool and Ca pool. The level of K remained almost the same. At the same time, mining soil also lost part of its Ca, K, Mn, and P. The mirobial analytis show that mining soil ontains fewer mirobes than FS. The mining soil ontains only four types of mirobes while the FS has ten speies. The mirobial ount for FS is x10 A 6 Count Fungi Units (CFU)/gram. Mining soil has only 3,600 CFU/gram, signifiantly fewer than in the FS. Mining soil has mostly unidentified atinomyetes. No atinomyetes were found in FS. FS is also riher in miroorganisms than forest soil. The experiment for biologial ativity, the four rop test, shows that mining soil is toxi for rops. It has lower ph than other types of soil. Thus FS not only reates a new landsape rehabilitation system, but also improves the pattern of mineral elements, miroelements, and mirobial ommunity. In addition, fabriated soil reates a better medium for plant propagation.

7 Four roptest or biologial ativity Kefeli et al 85 The elemental analysis shows that during the five years presene of FS on mining soil, the level of nutritive elements hanged. The amount of P dereased five times. Mg dereased three times. Copper dereased two times. Co and Zn dereased by twenty times. This may be onneted with the ativity of trees growing on FS. In five years, FS greatly dereased in nutritive elements, requiring additional nutrients. Conlusions The simple four-rop test is one step in the proess of disovering ways to restore soils. It learly demonstrates the inferiority of mining soil for growth of plants. The ph is obviously the most inhibiting fator for plant growth. In addition, the lak of organi material and the lak of mirobial ativity derease the soil's health and ability to support life on all levels. The fabriated soils at as a temporary measure to grow plant materials. However, the derease in nutritive elements reveals the need for ontinuous soil rehabilitation and a sustainable system for regenerating nutritive elements and organi materials. Perhaps the most signifiant results of these studies is the generation of questions. For example, what auses the derease in many elements, and how an these elements be sustained without non-loal inputs? Referenes Kefeli, V., Dunn, M., Kalevith, M., Taylor, W. To the Problem of Landsape Rehabilitation. Sustainability and Regeneration of Eologial Systems in Western Pennsylvania, USA: Researh and Efforts. Ed. Kefeli, V., Leininger, C. Slippery Rok Watershed Coalition , 2006.

Experiment Station. Department of Soil and Crop Sciences

Experiment Station. Department of Soil and Crop Sciences Tehnial Bulletin TB06-03 August 2006 Ag riultural Experiment Station College of Agriultural Sienes Department of Soil and Crop Sienes Western Colorado Researh Center Organi Alternatives for Weed Control