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Plant Uptake of Indigenous and Fertilizer Nitrogen from a Cretaceous Shale and Coal Mine Spoils
Author(s) -
Reeder Jean Dolan,
Berg W. A.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1977.03615995004100050022x
Subject(s) - revegetation , incubation , fertilizer , mineralization (soil science) , hordeum vulgare , agronomy , oil shale , nitrogen , greenhouse , environmental science , chemistry , poaceae , soil water , geology , botany , biology , soil science , paleontology , biochemistry , organic chemistry , ecological succession
Barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) was grown in a greenhouse in incubated and nonincubated samples of a Cretaceous shale, two strip mine coal spoils, and a soil (Cryoboroll) to evaluate the significance to plant growth of indigenous N mineralization and utilization of added NH 4 + . These “soil” materials contained 730 to 1,190 ppm total N. Plants grown in the shale or fresh spoil took up less indigenous N than plants grown in vegetated spoil or in soil. Incubation did not significantly affect uptake of indigenous N from any of the four “soil” materials. Less N added as NH 4 + was taken up by barley growing in incubated than nonincubated samples of shale, fresh spoil, and vegetated spoil. Total‐N uptake from incubated “soil” material was positively correlated with NH 4 + ‐N + NO 3 ‐ ‐N contents of “soil” material samples after laboratory incubation for 12, 21, and 42 days. This study indicated that while initial plant recovery of fertilizer N from the geologic materials equaled that recovered from the soil, fertilizer N added to the geologic material may be less available to plants with time than the same amount of fertilizer N added to soil. The high correlations between mineral N contents of laboratory‐incubated samples and total N uptake by barley grown under greenhouse conditions suggested that laboratory incubation tests could be useful in estimating the plant‐available N potentials of certain drastically disturbed lands prior to extensive revegetation programs.