Evaluation of revegetation techniques on mining spoil slopes

Abstract

The effect of hydro-seeding, with different combinations of mulching and fertilisation on the establishment of herbaceous vegetation on a slope of mining spoils, were examined during this work. The field trial consisted of four treatments: (A = hydro-seeding, B = hydro-seeding with cellulose plus the EI-1000 organic glue, C = hydroseeding with cellulose plus the synthetic glue CURASOL, D = hydro-seeding plus straw mulching plus asphalt fixing) with three replications. Hydro-seeding only, gave initially poor results, but in the following years these results were similar to those of the other treatments. The combined treatments gave better results initially but statistical differences between them were not identified. The vegetation in the third year was dramatically reduced, at approximately a third of the first year. As result of the fertilisation applied during the fourth year, the vegetation recovered, but to a much lower level than in the first and second year. The vegetation composition was dominated by the sown species in the first year but gradually the indigenous species increased up to 40–50% of the composition in the fourth year.