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Soil Biology & Biochemistry

Microbial Properties of Mine Spoil Materials in the Initial Stages of Soil Development

^a Institute of Soil Science, Univ. of Halle, Weidenplan 14, 06108 Halle, Germany
^b Dep. of Crop and Soil Sciences, Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA 16802
^c Dep. of Land, Air, and Water Resources, Univ. of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616

^* Corresponding author (mvb10{at}psu.edu)

The early years of soil genesis during mine spoil reclamation are critical for vegetative establishment and may help predict reclamation success. Mine spoils in the Halle-Leipzig region of Germany were analyzed for microbial changes following a hay mulch-seeding treatment without topsoil or fertilizer application. Microbial biomass carbon (C_mic) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) of spoils were measured each year in the first 3 yr after treatment. In the third year, bacterial community DNA fingerprints were compared with those from a reference soil. Microbial indicators were measured at three depths in the upper 10 cm of spoils at three sites with contrasting parent materials: glacial till (sandy loam), limnic tertiary sediments (high-lignite sandy clay loam), and quaternary sand and gravel (loamy sand). Before reclamation, C_mic means and standard deviations of surface spoils (0–1 cm) were 9 ± 6, 39 ± 11, and 38 ± 16 mg kg^–1 for the loamy sand, high-lignite sandy clay loam, and sandy loam spoils, respectively. Within one year, mean C_mic at the surface increased to 148 ± 70, 229 ± 64, and 497 ± 167 mg kg^–1, respectively, and was significantly higher at 0 to 1 cm than at lower depths. Highest DHA and DNA yields were obtained in the 0- to 1-cm depth of the sandy loam spoils. Microbial biomass C values exhibited significant correlations with DHA, DNA yield, and extractable C for all three mine spoils. Soil microbial indices were more responsive than plant measurements to differences in parent materials.

Abbreviations: C_mic, soil microbial biomass carbon • C_org, organic carbon • DHA, dehydrogenase activity • EDTA, ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid • MineLoam1, mine spoils with sandy loam texture (Geiseltal 1 site) • MineLoam2, mine spoils with sandy clay loam texture (Geiseltal 2 site) • MineSand3, mine spoils with loamy sand texture (Goitsche site) • PCR, polymerase chain reaction • RefSoil, silt loam (from old field at Zoeberitz site) • RISA, ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer analysis • TPF, triphenylformazan • TTC, triphenyltetrazolium