Effect of Leaf Litter on Plant Growth Behaviour of four Species raised on Mine Spoil

Abstract

Different plant species such as, Dalbergia sissoo, Azadirachta indica, Terminalia arjuna, Syzygium cuminii, Tectona grandis, Melia azedarach, Shorea robusta, Delonix regia, Sweitenia macrophylla, Cassia fistula, Terminalia arjuna, Albizia lebbeck, Leucaena leucocephala, Mangifera indica and Pterospermum acerifolium were planted using suitable amendments for the bio-reclamation of mine spoil at Tata Steel experimental site, Jamadoba, Dhanbad during the period (2001-02). Among the planted species, four species viz. Dalbergia sissoo, Melia azedarach, Tectona grandis, Cassia fistula were selected for the determination of growth parameters. Physico-chemical parameters such as, moisture content, water holding capacity (WHC), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (OC) and other major available nutrients (NPK) of the amended mine spoil has been significantly (p<0.05) improved as compared to the control ones. The growth and vigour of the planted species at amended site were considerably enhanced obviously due to the nutrient enrichment through the gradual decomposition of leaf litter. Based on the plant growth performance, Dalbergia sissoo, was found to have best suited plants for mine spoil reclamation than the other studied plant species.