Re-establishing life in restored topsoils: J. Scullion, Land Degradation & Rehabilitation, 3(3), 1992, pp 161–168

Abstract

Soil samples were obtained from topsoil stockpiles of three different ages on a coal stripmine in order to examine the effects of length of storage time and depth into the stockpile on the number of viable seeds and species represented. Seeds were extracted from soil using flotation/ separation procedures and tested for viability using 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride, a vital stain. Viable seeds were identified according to species, where possible, and counted. A significant effect of year of establishment of the topsoil stockpiles on the number of viable seeds in the topsoil was found. However, the number of viable seeds increased with increasing storage time indicating that factors other than time were probably determining the number of viable seeds in stockpiled topsoil. Differences in pre-disturbance vegetation and soil depth are likely factors determining the seed reserve in stockpiled topsoil. There was no significant effect of depth on the number of viable seeds in the topsoil stockpile, indicating how thoroughly seeds become mixed during the stockpiling process.