Development of soil physical parameters in agricultural reclamation after brown coal mining within the first four years

  • In Lusatia, Eastern Germany, the largest German brown coal (lignite) mining area is located. We study agricultural reclamation of open cast brown coal mining areas over the reclamation period of seven years which is in Germany by law the fixed time after which the agricultural areas are resold to farmers and agricultural cooperatives. This paper shows the development of selected soil physical parameters within the first three and four years of reclamation in dependence of organic fertilization, soil tillage and crop rotation. The sandy substrate which is used to reconstruct the post mining landscape is of Saaleian origin, free of recent organic matter and characterized by a homogeneous fabric. During excavation, deposition on stockpiles and levelling, the substrate becomes partly severely compacted due to extensive mechanical stresses. The extent of induced stresses depends on the contact area pressure and on the number of wheel passes of the levelling machinery during these processes. In this context we investigated the effectIn Lusatia, Eastern Germany, the largest German brown coal (lignite) mining area is located. We study agricultural reclamation of open cast brown coal mining areas over the reclamation period of seven years which is in Germany by law the fixed time after which the agricultural areas are resold to farmers and agricultural cooperatives. This paper shows the development of selected soil physical parameters within the first three and four years of reclamation in dependence of organic fertilization, soil tillage and crop rotation. The sandy substrate which is used to reconstruct the post mining landscape is of Saaleian origin, free of recent organic matter and characterized by a homogeneous fabric. During excavation, deposition on stockpiles and levelling, the substrate becomes partly severely compacted due to extensive mechanical stresses. The extent of induced stresses depends on the contact area pressure and on the number of wheel passes of the levelling machinery during these processes. In this context we investigated the effect of different organic soil additives in combination with different crop rotations on the development of soil structure. The experimental area was reconstructed in 2006 and 2007. Directly after site construction, undisturbed soil samples were taken to characterize the initial mechanical and hydraulic properties of the substrate. Three and four years later again undisturbed samples on selected sub plots were taken. In 2010 samples from plots where Alfalfa had been cultivated for three years were collected. The Alfalfa plots were wheeled only twice per year, once for fertilization and once to cut and chaff the biomass. In 2011 samples from plots with annual ploughing and seedbed preparation were taken to show the effects of different crops and tillage intensities in combination with varying soil organic fertilizers on soil structure development. Furthermore, we evaluated the persistence of the loosening effect of subsoiling in dependence on the reclamation practice. First results of our on-going experimental study indicate that initial soil physical properties are very variable on the sub plots. After three and four years, no loosening effect of deep loosening was found anymore. The comparison of the minimum tilled plots (Alfalfa) with the plots of medium tillage intensity showed that with decreasing soil tillage intensity the functionality of the pore system (saturated hydraulic conductivity, air permeability) is improved.show moreshow less

Export metadata

Additional Services

Search Google Scholar
Metadaten
Author: Julia Krümmelbein, Thomas RaabORCiDGND
URL:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167198712001389
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2012.06.013
ISSN:0167-1987
Title of the source (English):Soil and Tillage Research
Document Type:Scientific journal article peer-reviewed
Language:English
Year of publication:2012
Volume/Year:125
First Page:109
Last Page:115
Faculty/Chair:Fakultät 2 Umwelt und Naturwissenschaften / FG Geopedologie und Landschaftsentwicklung
Einverstanden ✔
Diese Webseite verwendet technisch erforderliche Session-Cookies. Durch die weitere Nutzung der Webseite stimmen Sie diesem zu. Unsere Datenschutzerklärung finden Sie hier.