Vermicompost improves maize, millet and sorghum growth in iron mine tailings

Changes in Growth, Physiology, and Fatty Acid Profile of Rapeseed Cultivars Treated with Vermicompost Under Drought Stress

“…Li et al (2019) indicated that VC can improve plant growth by reducing water loss and soil erosion. Similarly, de Fátima Esteves et al (2020) showed the increased nutrients content in maize, millet, and sorghum with VC application, because VC is known to increase soil fertility by increasing the availability of macronutrients of P, K, Ca, and Mg. Thus, the addition of VC leads to greater nutrient Fig.…”

Aftershocks of the Samarco disaster: diminished growth and increased metal content of Raphanus sativus cultivated in soil with mining tailings

“…Therefore, diluting contaminated substrates with soil rich in OM improves its biophysical properties, increasing its capacity to retain water as well as the presence of microorganisms (e.g., Asmelash, Bekele, & Birhane, 2016;Andrade et al, 2018). Increased nutrient availability has shown positive results for plant development in tailings (Bahia et al, 2020;Esteves et al, 2020). Therefore, the dilution of mining tailings with organic soil could enable agriculture production in contaminated substrates, depending on the dilution required for acceptable crop growth, quality for consumption, and associated costs.…”

“…The combination of soil compaction, high metal concentrations, low OM, and possible interactions with other sources of contamination are highly undesirable for the agricultural practices taking place alongside the banks of the Doce river (Andrade et al, 2018). In fact, studies have consistently shown that the main limiting factor for plant growth in the affected region is the low fertility of the Fundão dam tailings (Andrade et al, 2018;Coelho et al, 2020;Cruz, Gomes, Bicalho, Della Torre, & Garcia, 2020;Esteves et al, 2020). However, high concentrations of metals were also found in plants grown in tailings (Coelho et al, 2020;Esteves et al, 2020;Cruz, Gomes, Bicalho, & Garcia, 2021).…”

“…In fact, studies have consistently shown that the main limiting factor for plant growth in the affected region is the low fertility of the Fundão dam tailings (Andrade et al, 2018;Coelho et al, 2020;Cruz, Gomes, Bicalho, Della Torre, & Garcia, 2020;Esteves et al, 2020). However, high concentrations of metals were also found in plants grown in tailings (Coelho et al, 2020;Esteves et al, 2020;Cruz, Gomes, Bicalho, & Garcia, 2021). When present at high concentrations in the soil, some metals can become toxic and affect important metabolic processes (e.g., inhibition of enzymatic activity, initiation of chlorosis, and lowering plant development/yield capacity) (Påhlsson, 1989;Nagajyoti, Lee, & Sreekanth, 2010;Onakpa, Njan, & Kalu, 2018).…”

“…Chemical fertilization was found to reverse the deleterious effects of mining tailings on the growth of native Atlantic Forest plants (Cruz et al, 2020). The addition of vermicompost to mining tailings improved soil physical properties, increased nutrient input into the soil, and favored the development of corn plants (Esteves et al, 2020).…”