Remediation of Ammonium-Contaminated Abandoned Animal Waste Lagoon Soil: Physical Properties and Growth of Barley
2002
Remediation of the soil beneath closed animal waste lagoons is an important issue, particularly for lagoons in environmentally sensitive regions. Few studies address the possibility of using plants to remediate these soils. The objectives of this research were to determine whether barley (Hor-deum vulgare L.), a salt-tolerant crop, would grow in lagoon soil and to determine the effect of plant residue amendments on barley growth and soil physical properties. The lagoon soil was collected from a closed swine lagoon. Oat-straw and corn-cob residues were added at rates of 0 (control), 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 g/kg lagoon soil. Barley grew in all soils, including the soil with no residues. Average grain yield of plants in pots with oat straw was more than twice that of plants in pots with corn cobs (10.7 g/pot and 4.5 g/pot, respectively). Bulk density and oxygen diffusion rate decreased with increasing amounts of residue in the soil. Infiltration was lower in pots with oat straw than in pots with corn cobs. Irrigation water moved rapidly through macropores visible in the soil with corn cobs. The soil amended with corn cobs retained less water, causing poor growth of the barley. The results showed that corn-cob residue created preferential flow paths in the lagoon soil.
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