ARS | Publication request: Use of animal waste and flue gas desulfurized gypsum to improve forage production on reclaimed mine soil in Mississippi

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 23, 2012
Publication Date: July 2, 2012
Citation: Read, J.J., Adeli, A., Lang, D.E. 2012. Use of animal waste and flue gas desulfurized gypsum to improve forage production on reclaimed mine soil in Mississippi. Proceedings of American Society of Mining and Reclamation. http://www.asmr.us.Meetings/2012/Abstracts/0453-MS.pdf.

Technical Abstract: Reclaimed mine soils amended with flue gas desulfurized (FGD) gypsum may tolerate higher levels of animal manure, and would therefore be more productive in the long-term. Studies were conducted in respread soil during the first year of land reclamation at Red Hills Mine, a surface lignite mine in northeast Mississippi, to determine forage grass responses to 896 kg/ha NPK fertilizer as the standard practice, 11.2 Mg/ha FGD gypsum, 22.4 Mg/ha poultry manure (litter); 22.4 Mg/ha composted swine mortalities, NPK fertilizer + gypsum, litter + gypsum, and compost + gypsum. In early May, treatments were applied by hand and incorporated to 15-cm depth using a tandem disc, and seeds were planted using a Brillion cultipaker. Percent plant cover in August was similar among treatments. Based on a single harvest in September, litter + gypsum produced 4.3 Mg biomass per ha, similar to values obtained with litter only (4.2 Mg/ha), NPK fertilizer (3.3 Mg/ha), and NPK fertilizer + gypsum (3.4 Mg/ha). Plant growth was stimulated by amendments that provided N and other nutrients, as gypsum alone resulted in the least biomass of approximately 1.7 Mg ha-1. Similarly, plants were approximately 8 cm taller in the litter than gypsum treatment (25 vs. 17 cm). Growth response to litter appeared to be associated with higher levels of P, K and Na in the 30-cm soil depth, as compared to other amendments.