Biochar Organic Fertilizer Combined with Indigenous Microorganisms Enhances the Growth of Landscape Grass Cultivated in a Substrate Mixed with Iron Tailings and Mining Topsoil

Iron tailings from the mining process occupy vast land areas and pose a significant ecological risk. In order to reuse iron tailings resources and carry out in situ ecological restoration of a mine, in this study, a medium of mixed iron tailings and mining topsoil (m:m = 3:1) was used to plant lands...

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Main Authors: Xinyue Li, Xun Zhang, Jiaoyue Wang, Zhouli Liu, Hewei Song, Jing An
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/21/3042
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author Xinyue Li
Xun Zhang
Jiaoyue Wang
Zhouli Liu
Hewei Song
Jing An
author_facet Xinyue Li
Xun Zhang
Jiaoyue Wang
Zhouli Liu
Hewei Song
Jing An
author_sort Xinyue Li
collection DOAJ
description Iron tailings from the mining process occupy vast land areas and pose a significant ecological risk. In order to reuse iron tailings resources and carry out in situ ecological restoration of a mine, in this study, a medium of mixed iron tailings and mining topsoil (m:m = 3:1) was used to plant landscape grasses, including <i>Lolium perenne</i> L. <i>(L. perenne</i>), <i>Pennisetum alopecuroides</i> (L.) Spreng. <i>(P. alopecuroides</i>), <i>Melilotus officinalis</i> (L.) Lam. (<i>M. officinalis</i>), and <i>Medicago sativa</i> L. (<i>M. sativa</i>). Biochar and chicken manure were used as biochar organic fertilizers and indigenous microorganisms were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of tested grasses. They were applied to enhance landscape grass growth by regulating rhizosphere microbial communities and nutrient conditions. The results showed that the biochar organic fertilizers significantly promoted the growth of the four landscape grasses, notably <i>P. alopecuroides</i>, increasing plant height, root length, root weight, and leaf fresh weight by 169%, 60%, 211%, and 388%, respectively. Additionally, <i>L. perenne</i> exhibited the greatest height increase (10%) following the application of bacterial solutions. Moreover, indigenous bacterial solutions enhanced chlorophyll content and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity, with <i>P. alopecuroides</i> showing the highest chlorophyll increase of 58% and <i>M. sativa</i> exhibiting a 30.58% rise in PAL activity. The biochar organic fertilizer also significantly elevated soluble protein content in <i>P. alopecuroides</i> and <i>M. sativa</i> by 195% and 152%, respectively. It also effectively enhanced peroxidase (POD) activity in Poaceae grasses by 120% to 160%. After adding indigenous microorganisms, the rhizosphere soil of the landscape grass showed the highest Shannon–Wiener diversity index, reaching 3.561. The rhizosphere soil of <i>M. officinalis</i> had the highest microbial richness, with a value of 39. Additionally, the addition of indigenous microorganisms increased the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content of the four plants by 8–19%, 6–14%, and 8–18%, respectively. This study offers a new approach for managing mining waste and ecological restoration in mining areas.
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spelling doaj-art-5399ba40ed9b465686ef9a7afdc21bb92024-11-08T14:39:27ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472024-10-011321304210.3390/plants13213042Biochar Organic Fertilizer Combined with Indigenous Microorganisms Enhances the Growth of Landscape Grass Cultivated in a Substrate Mixed with Iron Tailings and Mining TopsoilXinyue Li0Xun Zhang1Jiaoyue Wang2Zhouli Liu3Hewei Song4Jing An5Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, ChinaCollege Environmental, Shenyang University, Shenyang 110044, ChinaKey Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, ChinaCollege of Life Science and Engineering, Shenyang University, Shenyang 110044, ChinaKey Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, ChinaKey Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, ChinaIron tailings from the mining process occupy vast land areas and pose a significant ecological risk. In order to reuse iron tailings resources and carry out in situ ecological restoration of a mine, in this study, a medium of mixed iron tailings and mining topsoil (m:m = 3:1) was used to plant landscape grasses, including <i>Lolium perenne</i> L. <i>(L. perenne</i>), <i>Pennisetum alopecuroides</i> (L.) Spreng. <i>(P. alopecuroides</i>), <i>Melilotus officinalis</i> (L.) Lam. (<i>M. officinalis</i>), and <i>Medicago sativa</i> L. (<i>M. sativa</i>). Biochar and chicken manure were used as biochar organic fertilizers and indigenous microorganisms were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of tested grasses. They were applied to enhance landscape grass growth by regulating rhizosphere microbial communities and nutrient conditions. The results showed that the biochar organic fertilizers significantly promoted the growth of the four landscape grasses, notably <i>P. alopecuroides</i>, increasing plant height, root length, root weight, and leaf fresh weight by 169%, 60%, 211%, and 388%, respectively. Additionally, <i>L. perenne</i> exhibited the greatest height increase (10%) following the application of bacterial solutions. Moreover, indigenous bacterial solutions enhanced chlorophyll content and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity, with <i>P. alopecuroides</i> showing the highest chlorophyll increase of 58% and <i>M. sativa</i> exhibiting a 30.58% rise in PAL activity. The biochar organic fertilizer also significantly elevated soluble protein content in <i>P. alopecuroides</i> and <i>M. sativa</i> by 195% and 152%, respectively. It also effectively enhanced peroxidase (POD) activity in Poaceae grasses by 120% to 160%. After adding indigenous microorganisms, the rhizosphere soil of the landscape grass showed the highest Shannon–Wiener diversity index, reaching 3.561. The rhizosphere soil of <i>M. officinalis</i> had the highest microbial richness, with a value of 39. Additionally, the addition of indigenous microorganisms increased the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content of the four plants by 8–19%, 6–14%, and 8–18%, respectively. This study offers a new approach for managing mining waste and ecological restoration in mining areas.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/21/3042iron tailswaste utilizationlandscape grassrhizosphere improvementecological restoration
spellingShingle Xinyue Li
Xun Zhang
Jiaoyue Wang
Zhouli Liu
Hewei Song
Jing An
Biochar Organic Fertilizer Combined with Indigenous Microorganisms Enhances the Growth of Landscape Grass Cultivated in a Substrate Mixed with Iron Tailings and Mining Topsoil
Plants
iron tails
waste utilization
landscape grass
rhizosphere improvement
ecological restoration
title Biochar Organic Fertilizer Combined with Indigenous Microorganisms Enhances the Growth of Landscape Grass Cultivated in a Substrate Mixed with Iron Tailings and Mining Topsoil
title_full Biochar Organic Fertilizer Combined with Indigenous Microorganisms Enhances the Growth of Landscape Grass Cultivated in a Substrate Mixed with Iron Tailings and Mining Topsoil
title_fullStr Biochar Organic Fertilizer Combined with Indigenous Microorganisms Enhances the Growth of Landscape Grass Cultivated in a Substrate Mixed with Iron Tailings and Mining Topsoil
title_full_unstemmed Biochar Organic Fertilizer Combined with Indigenous Microorganisms Enhances the Growth of Landscape Grass Cultivated in a Substrate Mixed with Iron Tailings and Mining Topsoil
title_short Biochar Organic Fertilizer Combined with Indigenous Microorganisms Enhances the Growth of Landscape Grass Cultivated in a Substrate Mixed with Iron Tailings and Mining Topsoil
title_sort biochar organic fertilizer combined with indigenous microorganisms enhances the growth of landscape grass cultivated in a substrate mixed with iron tailings and mining topsoil
topic iron tails
waste utilization
landscape grass
rhizosphere improvement
ecological restoration
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/21/3042
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