Native legume establishment on acidic coal mining overburden at Collie, Western Australia

Abstract

Nitrogen is often provided to impoverished overburden dumps through the establishment of legumes. Low indigenous soil nutrient levels, summer drought conditions and an acidic mining overburden represent major obstacles to successful rehabilitation of open-cut coal mining at Collie in southwest Western Australia. In this study,Acacia pulchella, a native Western Australian species often used in rehabilitation of mined lands, was shown to nodulate and grow in coal mining overburden with pH values less than 4.0 under glasshouse conditions. Plant growth (both top and root dry weight), nodule fresh weight, and nodulation success was best at a pH near 5.0, a value only slightly lower than the typical soil pH of the native jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest. Acetylene reduction rates were reduced by acidity and ranged from 8.2 μm C2H4g(-1)hr(-1) at pH 6.77 to 3.0 μm C2H4g(-1)hr(-1) at a pH of 3.98. Four additional plant species were found to occur and to nodulate on acid overburden material at Collie.