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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Sewage sludge application for spontaneous plant restoration of a New Caledonian Ferralsol

Prescilia Velayoudon A , Pascal Pagand A , Peter Winterton B and Maritxu Guiresse C D E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A LIVE (Laboratoire Insulaire du Vivant et de l’Environnement), Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie, BP R4, 98851 Nouméa cedex, Nouvelle-Calédonie, France.

B Département Langues et Gestion, Université de Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex, France.

C INP, UPS, EcoLab (Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement), ENSAT, Université de Toulouse, Avenue de l’Agrobiopole, 31326 Castanet Tolosan, France.

D EcoLab, CNRS, 31326 Castanet Tolosan, France.

E Corresponding author. Email: guiresse@ensat.fr

Soil Research 52(1) 76-86 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR13108
Submitted: 2 April 2013  Accepted: 25 September 2013   Published: 5 February 2014

Abstract

Soils from New Caledonia typically present poor nutrient content and large quantities of heavy metals such as nickel, chromium and cobalt, resulting in slow plant development. We evaluated the impact of sewage sludge application (0–30 t dry weight (DW) ha–1) on the passive revegetation of a former pine plantation. The spontaneously regenerated plant cover was mainly represented by the dominant Pinus caribaea, a shrub (Sannantha leratii), and a grass (Costularia comosa). The density of pine seedlings was significantly higher in the moderately amended zone (1.2 and 0.2 pines m–2 for 0.5 and 30 t DW ha–1 respectively). The same tendency was observed for S. leratii, but for C. comosa, no net change was observed. With no amendment, after 5 years many species were present, although aboveground biomass (0.3 kg m–2) was low, whereas, with sludge amendment, aboveground biomass was high (5 kg m–2) but diversity low. Amendment increased pine tree heights from 0.15 to 3.92 m with increased amendment from 0 to 30 t DW ha–1. The uptake of nitrogen (N) by pine trees was also improved with sludge supply, as was the uptake of phosphorus (P). Regarding S. leratii, N and P levels were highest at the sludge dosage of 2 t DW ha–1. Carbon storage in P. caribaea biomass increased from 0.40 to 180 kg m–2 with increased amendment applied. Five years after spreading at the highest amendment levels, available soil P remained enhanced. For heavy metal uptake by pine trees, no significant effect of sewage sludge was observed. The optimal dosage to stimulate biodiversity was 0.5–2 t DW ha–1 but maximal biomass was reached at 8–30 t DW ha–1.

Additional keywords: biosolids, forest nutrient availability, mine rehabilitation, revegetation, tropical soils.


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