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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Auburn, Alabama » Soil Dynamics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #189518
Title: VEGETATION RESTORATION USING UNDECOMPOSED ORGANIC WASTE

Author
item BUSBY, RYAN - ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS
item GEBHART, DICK - ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS
item Torbert, Henry - Allen

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/10/2006
Publication Date: 11/10/2006
Citation: Busby, R., Gebhart, D.L., Torbert III, H.A. 2006. Vegetation restoration using undecomposed organic waste [abstract]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: An organic waste product was studied to determine its usefulness as a soil amendment without prerequisite composting. Previous results indicated numerous potential benefits in establishing native prairie grasses when applying this material to degraded training lands with loamy soils at rates up to 35.8 Mg/ha, so rates were quadrupled in the present study. The current study is located on a relatively productive sandy soil and a severely disturbed and barren soil at Fort Benning, GA. Vegetative cover, species composition, biomass, and plant chemical properties were analyzed for two growing seasons. Changes in biomass, basal vegetative cover, and nutrient acquisition were significantly affected by treatment rate, with the planted prairie grasses comprising the bulk of vegetation. The highly disturbed site suffered from a severe iron toxicity problem that was alleviated with high application rates of the organic material. Results from the land application studies of this material indicate that significant benefits can be achieved when applying sizeable quantities of it to degraded soils.