Effects of Elemental Sulfur on Soil pH and Growth of Saskatoon Berry (Amelanchier alnifolia) and Beaked Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta) Seedlings

Abstract

The land disturbed by open-pit oil sands mining must be restored to support the survival and growth of native boreal plants. Because tailings sand and sodic shale overburden are commonly used as an underlying parent substrate that is capped by boreal forest cover soils, the soil pH in reclamation sites is often higher compared with undisturbed boreal forest soil. Sulfur is a major byproduct of oil sands refining and could potentially be used as an amendment to lower the soil pH on reclamation sites. In this study, we examined the effects of soil pH and elemental sulfur on growth and physiological responses in Saskatoon berry and beaked hazelnut seedlings. We found that elemental sulfur was effective in lowering soil pH. However, addition of elemental sulfur to a forest soil of pH 5.7 lowered the soil pH to around 3, which impaired the growth and physiological performance of both plant species. The addition of 5 and 25 g kg−1 elemental sulfur to the pH 8.5 soil did not substantially improve the examined growth and physiological parameters in Saskatoon berry and beaked hazelnut seedlings. Further, excess addition of elemental sulfur in high pH soil could reduce the uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium in Saskatoon berry. The results demonstrate that the amount of sulfur applied to the soil would need to be carefully determined for different soil types and pH levels to avoid potential toxicity effects.

Expert-Based Assessment of the Potential of Agroforestry Systems in Plain Regions across Bihor County, Western Romania

“…Saskatoon berry is also a species originating from North America, which recently received an increasing amount of attention for cultivation in Romania, especially across western parts of the country [105]. This species can tolerate a broad range of site conditions, being able to grow in different soil types, with a pH ranging from 5.6 to 8, for example [106]. Moreover, it can easily be propagated both in vegetative and generative ways [107].…”

Reclamation of abandoned magnesite site using amendments and plantation

“…Likewise, the high Ca content in the gypsum might provide a significant Ca, as well. Besides, sulfur addition lowered the pH, most likely due to H + release to the soil as a result of the oxidation of elemental sulfur by S bacteria (Sun et al 2022). Furthermore, the fact that Ca in the gypsum reacts with tailings, thus replacing H and Al, which hydrolyze to give H, and SO 4 replaces OH À might be another reason for the lowering of pH (Shainberg et al 1989).…”