The role of living plant roots and cattle manure as a soil amendment in the alleviation of compacted coal mine soils
type: CreativeWork
description: In South Africa, most of the surface coal mines are situated on the Highveld of the Mpumalanga Province. The mining industry plays a vital role and contributes to the economy of the country. Very often the mining activities change the physical nature of the soil which results in soil compaction. In mine soils, compaction is of great importance in plant growth and the environment because its high levels may adversely result in the degradation of soil structure, reduced nutrient distribution and reduced root growth, which eventually decreases plant growth. To ensure a productive vegetation, compacted mine soils has to be ameliorated effectively. A combination of practices is suggested to alleviate soil compaction, but some of them are costly and not ecologically stable particularly the use of conventional methods. Therefore, the challenge is to use the potential practices to ameliorate compacted soils. The proposed investigations, which are envisaged to solve harmful effects of soil compaction on plant growth, include biological activities, achieved through appropriate application of cattle manure and planting of pasture species. A review on literature, some studies indicate that the application of organic manure amendments such as cattle manure may overcome the negative effects of compaction, due to the beneficial effects on soil physical, chemical and biological properties in the zone of incorporation. Other studies has shown that pastures are linked with improvements in soil structure, soil organic matter content, rooting depths, consequently, reductions in bulk density. The focus of this study were to monitor the root biomass of irrigated Tall Fescue (F. arundinacea cv Dovey) and dryland Smuts Fingergrass (D. eriantha cv Irene) on mine soils, and to describe soil bulk density and soil nutrient concentrations in such soils. This study were also determining the effects of incorporating cattle manure into compacted (mine soils) and non compacted (agricultural soils) …
abstract: In South Africa, most of the surface coal mines are situated on the Highveld of the Mpumalanga Province. The mining industry plays a vital role and contributes to the economy of the country. Very often the mining activities change the physical nature of the soil which results in soil compaction. In mine soils, compaction is of great importance in plant growth and the environment because its high levels may adversely result in the degradation of soil structure, reduced nutrient distribution and reduced root growth, which eventually decreases plant growth. To ensure a productive vegetation, compacted mine soils has to be ameliorated effectively. A combination of practices is suggested to alleviate soil compaction, but some of them are costly and not ecologically stable particularly the use of conventional methods. Therefore, the challenge is to use the potential practices to ameliorate compacted soils. The proposed investigations, which are envisaged to solve harmful effects of soil compaction on plant growth, include biological activities, achieved through appropriate application of cattle manure and planting of pasture species. A review on literature, some studies indicate that the application of organic manure amendments such as cattle manure may overcome the negative effects of compaction, due to the beneficial effects on soil physical, chemical and biological properties in the zone of incorporation. Other studies has shown that pastures are linked with improvements in soil structure, soil organic matter content, rooting depths, consequently, reductions in bulk density. The focus of this study were to monitor the root biomass of irrigated Tall Fescue (F. arundinacea cv Dovey) and dryland Smuts Fingergrass (D. eriantha cv Irene) on mine soils, and to describe soil bulk density and soil nutrient concentrations in such soils. This study were also determining the effects of incorporating cattle manure into compacted (mine soils) and non compacted (agricultural soils) …
keywords: Coal mine soils, Plant growth, South Africa, UCTD
date published: 2010-08-13
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:52:45Z
provider: University of Pretoria
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Pretoria

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2263/27237