Abstract
Current methods of mine rehabilitation in the arid zone have a high failure rate at seedling emergence largely due to limited availability of topsoil and low water-holding capacity of alternative growth substrates such as mining overburden and tailings. Further, seedlings have consistently failed to emerge from seeds sown on the soil surface using traditional broadcasting methods. Seed pellets, formed by extruding soil mixtures and seeds into pellets, can potentially increase soil water uptake through enhanced soil-seed contact and thereby improve seedling emergence. We tested an extruded seed pelleting method in a three-factor field experiment (i.e., different pellet-soil mixtures, organic amendments, and simulated rainfall regimes) in north-western Australia. Given the observed lack of seedling emergence from broadcast seeds, the aims of the experiment were to assess: (i) the use of pellets to promote native seedling emergence and establishment and; (ii) the soil physico-chemical and microbiological changes that occur with this method of rehabilitation. The effects of pellet-soil mixtures, organic amendment, and rainfall regime on seedling emergence and survival of three native plant species suggest trade-offs among responses. Pellets made with a 1:1 blend of topsoil and a loamy-sand waste material had the highest seedling emergence, while 100% topsoil pellets had lower emergence probably because of hardsetting. Triodia pungens (a native grass) survived to the end of the experiment while Indigofera monophylla and Acacia inaequilatera (native shrubs) emerged but did not survive. Adding an organic amendment in the extruded pellet inhibited Triodia seedling emergence but increased soil microbial activity. Overall, extruded pellets made from a 1:1 blend showed promise for the establishment of Triodia seeds and beneficially, incorporates mine waste overburden and lesser amounts of topsoil. Further research is needed to improve pelleting production and to test the applicability of the method at scale, for different species and other ecosystem types.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Pellet mixture, organic amendment and rainfall regime produced trade-offs in emergence and survival of three native species.
Verbatim
e0“The effects of pellet-soil mixtures, organic amendment, and rainfall regime on seedling emergence and survival of three native plant species suggest trade-offs among responses”
Claim · model-written summary
A 1:1 topsoil and loamy-sand waste pellet blend produced the highest seedling emergence.
- Taxon
- Perennial Grasst0
- Treatment
- Pellets made with a 1:1 blend of topsoil and a loamy-sand waste materiale0
- Outcome
- seedling emergencee0
- Direction
- higheste0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Pellets made with a 1:1 blend of topsoil and a loamy-sand waste material had the highest seedling emergence”
t0“Perennial Grass”
Claim · model-written summary
Pellets composed entirely of topsoil had lower seedling emergence, possibly because of hardsetting.
Verbatim
e0“100% topsoil pellets had lower emergence probably because of hardsetting”
t0“Perennial Grass”
Claim · model-written summary
Triodia pungens survived to the end of the experiment.
- Taxon
- Triodia pungens
Triodia pungense0 - Outcome
- survived to the end of the experimente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Triodia pungens (a native grass) survived to the end of the experiment”
Claim · model-written summary
Indigofera monophylla emerged but did not survive.
- Taxon
- Indigofera monophylla
.jpg?width=60)
Indigofera monophyllae0 - Outcome
- emerged but did not survivee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Indigofera monophylla and Acacia inaequilatera (native shrubs) emerged but did not survive”
Claim · model-written summary
Acacia inaequilatera emerged but did not survive.
- Taxon
- Acacia inaequilatera
Acacia inaequilaterae0 - Outcome
- emerged but did not survivee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Indigofera monophylla and Acacia inaequilatera (native shrubs) emerged but did not survive”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic amendment in an extruded pellet inhibited Triodia seedling emergence.
- Treatment
- Adding an organic amendment in the extruded pellete0
- Outcome
- seedling emergencee0
- Direction
- inhibitede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Adding an organic amendment in the extruded pellet inhibited Triodia seedling emergence”
Claim · model-written summary
Organic amendment in an extruded pellet increased soil microbial activity.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Adding an organic amendment in the extruded pellet inhibited Triodia seedling emergence but increased soil microbial activity”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors conclude that 1:1 blend extruded pellets show promise for Triodia establishment.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“extruded pellets made from a 1:1 blend showed promise for the establishment of Triodia seeds”