This study measured the effects of spoil type and amendments on Appalachian mine soil properties over time. The Controlled Overburden Placement Experiment was installed in 1982 in two parts, the Rock Mix (RM) Experiment compares mixes of sandstone (SS) and siltstone (SiS) spoils while the Surface Amendment (SA) Experiment compares a fertilized control (CON), sawdust (SD at 112 Mg ha⁻¹), topsoil (TSâ 15 cm), and biosolids (BS) at 22, 56, 112 & 224 Mg ha⁻¹. Both experiments were sampled in 2008 and compared with historical data. After 26 years, all RM treatments had higher silt+clay and decreased sand. Mine soil pH and electrical conductance (EC) were lower in high SS spoils and overall pH was lower and EC higher in surface layers. Fe-oxides increased over time and adversely affected extractable P. Exchangeable cations and total N increased in all treatments. Annual C-sequestration rates were 0.51 Mg ha⁻¹ for 1:1 SS:SiS and 0.32 Mg ha⁻¹ for SiS. In the SA experiment, extractable P and exchangeable cations increased over time in organically amended plots. The CON and TS sequestered C at 0.54 Mg ha⁻¹ and 0.87 Mg ha⁻¹ annually while higher BS and SD treatments lost C, but mobilized significant C into their subsoils. In the SA, an apparent C retention maximum of 30-35 Mg ha⁻¹ was noted. Overall, rock type and amendment effects were still evident after 26 years and the long-term benefits of organic amendments were reflected in sustained higher C, exchangeable cations, total N and P levels. / Master of Science

Lui Mei-kam. / Thesis submitted in: December 1999. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-175). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.i / Abstract --- p.ii / Table of Contents --- p.v / List of Plates --- p.ix / List of Tables --- p.x / List of Figures --- p.xiii / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction / Chapter 1.1 --- Waste Management in Hong Kong --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Landfilling of Wastes --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Waste Degradation and Landfill By-Products --- p.3 / Chapter 1.4 --- Revegetation Problems on Post-Closure Landfills --- p.9 / Chapter 1.4.1 --- Compact and shallow soil --- p.9 / Chapter 1.4.2 --- Drought --- p.10 / Chapter 1.4.3 --- Nutrient deficiency --- p.10 / Chapter 1.4.4 --- Toxicity --- p.11 / Chapter 1.5 --- Ecosystem Development on Post-Closure Landfills --- p.11 / Chapter 1.6 --- Site Description --- p.13 / Chapter 1.7 --- Objectives --- p.20 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Chemical Properties of Cover Soil on the Pillar Point Valley Landfill / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.23 / Chapter 2.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Soil collection and analysis --- p.15 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Statistical analysis --- p.26 / Chapter 2.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.26 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Soil properties --- p.26 / Chapter 2.3.1.1 --- Organic carbon --- p.26 / Chapter 2.3.1.2 --- pH --- p.28 / Chapter 2.3.1.3 --- Electrical conductivity --- p.29 / Chapter 2.3.1.4 --- Nitrogen --- p.29 / Chapter 2.3.1.5 --- Phosphorus --- p.31 / Chapter 2.3.1.6 --- Potassium --- p.32 / Chapter 2.3.1.7 --- Cation contents --- p.33 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Development of soils after revegetation --- p.33 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Implications of soil property to vegetation development --- p.34 / Chapter 2.4 --- Conclusions --- p.36 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Vegetation Composition and Development on the Pillar Point Valley Landfill / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.37 / Chapter 3.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.38 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Vegetation cover --- p.38 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Floristic analysis --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Statistical analysis --- p.41 / Chapter 3.2.3.1 --- "Diversity, evenness and similarity of sites" --- p.41 / Chapter 3.2.3.2 --- Association of species and of quadrats --- p.42 / Chapter 3.2.3.3 --- Classification of species --- p.43 / Chapter 3.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.43 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Vegetation descriptions and analysis --- p.43 / Chapter 3.3.1.1 --- General vegetation cover --- p.43 / Chapter 3.3.1.2 --- Floristic composition --- p.46 / Chapter 3.3.1.3 --- Ecological indices between sites --- p.61 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Species distribution along soil properties --- p.64 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Ecological development on landfills --- p.73 / Chapter 3.3.3.1 --- After hydroseeding --- p.73 / Chapter 3.3.3.2 --- After tree planting --- p.74 / Chapter 3.4 --- Conclusions --- p.76 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Seed Bank Composition and Development on the Pillar Point Valley Landfill / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.78 / Chapter 4.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.79 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Seed collection --- p.79 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Seed germination --- p.80 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Statistical analysis --- p.81 / Chapter 4.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.81 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Seed bank composition and analysis --- p.81 / Chapter 4.3.1.1 --- Seed bank composition --- p.81 / Chapter 4.3.1.2 --- Ecological indices between sites --- p.94 / Chapter 4.3.1.3 --- Similarity between seed banks and standing crops --- p.96 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Seed characteristics on the four sites --- p.100 / Chapter 4.3.2.1 --- Grasslands --- p.100 / Chapter 4.3.2.2 --- Woodlands --- p.102 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Ecological development on landfills --- p.103 / Chapter 4.3.3.1 --- After hydroseeding --- p.103 / Chapter 4.3.3.2 --- After tree planting --- p.109 / Chapter 4.3.4 --- Performance of planted trees --- p.113 / Chapter 4.4 --- Conclusions --- p.115 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Ecophysiological Studies on Three Selected Tree Species on the Pillar Point Valley Landfill / Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.117 / Chapter 5.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.120 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Field measurements --- p.120 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Statistical analysis --- p.121 / Chapter 5.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.121 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Soil factors --- p.121 / Chapter 5.3.1.1 --- Soil moisture content --- p.121 / Chapter 5.3.1.2 --- Soil gas composition --- p.123 / Chapter 5.3.2. --- Ecophysiological expressions --- p.129 / Chapter 5.3.2.1 --- Fv/Fm --- p.129 / Chapter 5.3.2.2 --- Stomatal conductance --- p.134 / Chapter 5.3.2.3 --- Transpiration --- p.139 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Implications of ecophysiological studies --- p.146 / Chapter 5.4 --- Conclusions --- p.149 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- General Conclusions --- p.150 / References --- p.156

The objectives of this research were to 1) evaluate the establishment and peak standing crop of Berber Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata var. "Berber"), Palestine Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata var. "Palestine"), and Sheep Fescue (Festuca ovina var. "Covar") ; 2) to assess establishment and production changes resulting from environmental gradients (elevation, slope, aspect, soil texture, precipitation, and resident annual community) across the foothill landscape; 3) develop a mathematical model that predicts site potential for restoration; and 4) evaluate the utility of Geographic Information Systems for creation and analysis of spatial data which identify site production potential. Sixteen sites were chosen which reflect the general character of the foothill rangelands in southwestern Oregon. A Randomized Complete Block design was used to select treatment arrangement on each site. Seeded treatments received both chemical (Glyphosate, Hoelon, and 2,4-D) and mechanical (residue removal) disturbance. Test species were seeded into three replications at each site. Each replication also included a non-treatment control. Standing crop data for test species and resident exotics were collected after three growing seasons. Berber orchardgrass did not establish at most sites and where establishment did take place production was less than 132 kgDM/ha. Palestine orchardgrass established on on a majority of the study sites and produced most aboveground phytomass at mid-elevations where coarser soil textures and deeper soil depths were common. Sheep fescue was the most successful of the three test species and did best on low elevation high clay sites. There was significantly (P=0.001) more phytomass produced by annual exotics on seeded plots than on undisturbed controls at most sites. Both Palestine orchardgrass and sheep fescue treatments significantly suppressed the annual exotics when compared to the Berber treatments. Generally, "Covar" sheep fescue can establish and successfully compete with exotics on heavier textured soils at low elevations. "Palestine orchardgrass is adapted to mid-elevation coarser soils. / Graduation date: 1995

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Murdoch University, 2009. / Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Sustainability, Environmental and Life Sciences. Includes bibliographical references (p. 308-319).

Research was conducted over a 2-year period at the University of Arizona Campus and Oracle Agricultural Centers to evaluate the effectiveness of surface imprintation in revegetating arid lands. Introduction of forage leguminous species into arid rangelands through land imprintat ion was another objective of this study. The soil at the Campus Center is a Brasito, mixed thermic, typic torripsamment with a sandy-loam texture. This was compared with a White House, fine mixed thermic, Ustollic haplargid with a sandyloam texture at the Oracle Center. Natural rains were the only source of irrigation at Oracle. At the Campus Center, however, a sprinkler irrigation system was installed to match rains with that at the Oracle Center. Three cover treatments together with four surface treatments were used at both sites. The cover treatments included a pure stand of grasses, a pure stand of legumes, and a mixture of both grasses and legumes. The surface treatments were imprinted, mulched, imprinted-mulched, and an untreated surface as a check. Surface imprintation was performed by a land imprinter at Oracle and by a hand imprinter at Campus. The imprinted surface significantly increased soil moisture retention, number of plants per unit area, plant height, plant cover, and biomass compared to the untreated surface. At the Oracle Center, the imprinted surface improved legume germination by 800% over the untreated surface, and by 367% over the mulched one. Corresponding percentages at Campus were 48 and 4% over the untreated and the mulched surfaces, respectively. Increases in biomass production achieved through surface imprintation were 102% over the untreated surface and 35% over the mulched surface at the Oracle Center. Corresponding increases at Campus were 63 and 33% over the untreated and the mulched surfaces, respectively. Plants grown on imprinted surfaces exhibited higher transpiration rates, lower diffusive resistance, and cooler leaf temperature compared to those grown on the untreated surfaces. Addition of mulch to the imprinted surface made no significant differences with respect to the parameters measured when compared to the imprinted surface without mulch. When mulch was used as a separate treatment, however, it significantly increased the parameters measured over the untreated surface. The effect of cover treatments on growth parameters and biomass production was masked by seasonality. Grasses tended to be superior over legumes in samples taken during the fall and the opposite was true during the summer. Mixing legumes with grasses, however, resulted in significantly taller grasses compared to grasses grown as a pure stand.

In July of 1986 and 1987, we seeded bufelgrass, kleingrass, 'Catalina' lovegrass, "Cochise" lovegrass, bottlebrush, and sideoats grama grass on retired farmland in the Avra Valley west of Tucson. We seeded these grasses under three irrigation regimes: no establishment irrigation, two establishment irrigations, and four establishment irrigations. Establishment irrigations significantly increased the forage production of the grasses in the first two years of the 1986 planting and in the first year of the 1987 planting. Buffelgrass, kleingrass, and the lovegrasses appear to be promising species for vegetative cover on retired farmland.

This is an experiment on seeding fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) in 80-inch wide waterharvesting microcatchments on retired farmland west of Tucson. At 32 months after planting plots that received the establishment irrigation had more cover than unirrigated plots. Keeping plots free of competing weeds also gave some advantage. However, the coefficient of variation was very high, and none of these differences was statistically significant.

A permanent vegetative cover should be established on farmland before retirement. After four years of research, we recommend 1. Work with the fanner while he is still on the land; 2 Furrow the land into 38 or 40 -inch beds; 3. Plant adapted species; and 4. Apply establishment irrigations.

In July of 1988, we planted eight range grass species on retired farmland in the Avra Valley west of Tucson. In November of 1989, Arabian yellow bluestem, kleingrass, buffelgrass, "Catalina" lovegrass, and bermudagrass all yielded over 1000 Kg /Ha of oven dry forage "Cochise" lovegrass yielded 889 Kg /Ha, sideoats grama grass yielded 126 Kg /Ha, and bottlebrush yielded 86 Kg /Ha.

In July 1987, we began an experiment to evaluate the effects of water harvesting and establishment irrigations on range grasses on retired farmland In the first two years since establishment, we measured significantly higher forage production where we applied establishment irrigations. After three years, the difference from irrigation was no longer significant. We have not detected any significant differences in forage production due to water harvesting treatments.