Chitralekha Sengupta.pmd - An International Quarterly Journal of ...

ISSN: 0974 - 0376
NSave Nature to Survive
: Special issue, Vol. III: 281 - 287; 2013
AN INTERNATIONAL QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
www.theecoscan.in
THE HEIGHT: DIAMETER RATIO DEPENDENT ECECIS OF
NATIVE PLANT SEEDLINGS: IMPLICATION IN RESTORATION OF
OVERBURDEN DUMPS
Chitralekha Sengupta and Anshumali
KEYWORDS
Mine spoil
Overburden dumps
Organic manure
VAM
Tropical deciduous forests
Height
Diameter ratio
Ecesis.
Prof. P. C. Mishra Felicitation Volume
Paper presented in
National Seminar on Ecology, Environment &
Development
25 - 27 January, 2013
organised by
Deptt. of Environmental Sciences,
Sambalpur University, Sambalpur
Guest Editors: S. K. Sahu, S. K. Pattanayak and M. R. Mahananda
281

NSave Nature to Survive
QUARTERLY
CHITRALEKHA SENGUPTA* AND ANSHUMALI
Chitralekha Sengupta,Senior Research Fellow ,Central Pollution Control Board, Zonal Office,
Southend Conclave, 1582 Rajdanga Main Road, Kolkata – 700 107
1
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering
Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, INDIA – 826 004
E-mail: chitra82ster@gmail.com.
ABSTRACT
The ecological performance of native tree
seedlings was examined by plot experiments
to understand the reclamation mechanism of
overburden dump in Bastacola area of Jharia
Coalfield. Plant species selected for plot
experiments were Neem (Azardirachta
indica), Ashok (Saraca indica), Bamboo
(Dendrocalamus strictus), Peepal (Ficus
religiosa) and Amla (Emblica officinalis). The
seedlings were subjected to three types of
treatments namely OBV (VAM), OBS
(agricultural soil+VAM), OBM (cow dung
manure+VAM) and OBC (the control plot).
The physico-chemical characteristics of each
plot was evaluated along with the plant root,
shoot height and circumference growth in each
plot. The OBM showed high growth of plant
seedlings due to the organic manure addition
while OBC was not significant for plant
growth due to lack of nutrient despite the
occurrence of high orthodox organic matter
in form of coal dust. The treatments helped in
shoot and root growth of D. strictus and F.
religiosa, respectively while the annual
increment in height and circumference was
maximum in D. strictus and F. religiosa,
respectively. The low H: D ratio revealed high
versatility of F. religiosa i.e. preferred plant
species for the restoration of the overburden
dump on flat and sloping surfaces in the study
area.
INTRODUCTION
Today, India has 18, 289h of degraded land due to coal mining (Agarwal and
Shahi, 2004). Hillocks of disturbed soil profile, called overburden dumps are
usual in mining areas. These are major causes of air and water pollution. They
also subside/collapse due to lose rocks assemblage. These problems can be
curbed with plantation, however, lack of nutrients, high bulk density and low
water holding capacity and high degree of homogeneity in parent rock materials
lead to poor chances of plant species survival. Therefore, natural restoration of
mine spoil is a slow process (Singh, 2006). To support the plants growth, spoil
amendment is required for their ecesis on bare over burden dumps. The treatment
of mine spoils along with beneficial soil microorganisms like arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) also facilitate the plant growth by effective exploitation
of essential nutrients and water from soil due to the extensive network of AMF
mycelium (Joner and Jacobsen, 1995; Juwarkar and Jambhulkar, 2008; Sinha et
al., 2009). The use of native and indigenous plant species have been a key factor
in revegetation programs with a view to maintain essential processes and life
support system, preservation of genetic diversity and to ensure sustainable
utilization of species and ecosystem (Banerjee et al., 1996; Jha and Singh 1993;
Soni and Sharma, 1994) as they undergo minimum environmental stress,
successfully establish themselves on the degraded soil (Singh et al., 2002) and
improve understory properties.
In the tropical deciduous forests, slopes are generally dominated by dicot plants
with simple leaves while flat surface or hill tops are dominated by dicot with
compound leaves or monocot plants. The idea behind this natural growth pattern
has been exploited in our study to the find out the most suitable plant species for
successful ecesis on the overburden dump of Bastacola, Jharia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
*Corresponding author
Study area
The study site is located in Bastacola, Jharia coalfield of Jharkhand [23º39’30"
and 24º48’ 20’’ N latitude and between 86º11’ 30" and 86º27’ E longitude] (Fig.
1). It has an average elevation of 77m; the climate is tropical monsoon with
annual average rainfall is 1169 mm. The mean monthly maximum and minimum
temperature during study period (April 2008-July 2009) were, 19.8-45ºC in
summer, 8.5-33.5ºC in winter and 24-37.8ºC in monsoon season. The relative
humidity varied from 15 – 98 %.
The geological formation belongs to the Gondwana System (Barakar formation),
the lower division of which comprises the most important coal measures of India
(Chandra, 1992). This is important formation containing coal seams and covers
an area of about 210 sq km (Fig. 1). The Barakar Formation consists of coarsegrained
sand-stones, conglomerates, shales, carbonaceous shales, silt-stones,
282

IMPLICATION IN RESTORATION OF OVERBURDEN DUMPS
Table 1: Summary of control and treatment plots
Plot No Abbreviation Remarks
Over Burden Control OBC Mine spoil, seedlings of five plant species, no amendments
Over Burden + VAM OBV Mine spoil, seedlings of five plant species, treatment with vesicular arbuscular
mycorrhizae (VAM)
Over Burden +VAM+ Agricultural Soil OBS Mine spoil, seedlings of five plant species, treatment with vesicular arbuscular
mycorrhizae (VAM) and agricultural soil to mine spoil ratio was 1:4
Over Burden + VAM + Manure OBM Mine spoil, seedlings of five plant species, treatment with vesicular arbuscular
mycorrhizae (VAM) and manure to mine spoil ratio was 1:4
Table 2: Physico chemical parameters of the coal mine spoil, agricultural soil and cow dung manure which were used as soil amendments
April, 2008
Parameters Mine Spoil (Avg±Sd) Agriculture soil (Avg±Sd) Cow dung manure (Avg±Sd)
pH 5.67±1.36 5.84±0.11 7.44±0.05
EC(mmhos/cm) 0.07±0.34 0.08±0.01 3.07±0.01
BD(g/cc) 1.45±0.02 1.29±0.04 37.54±0.22
MC(%) 2.07±1.30 3.21±0.32 6.02±0.24
WHC(%) 16.28±7.25 40.03±0.64 0.75±0.01
OC(%) 1.66±0.92 2.78±0.78 19.60±0.07
OM(%) 2.87±1.60 4.78±1.34 33.94±0.93
N( μg/g) 16.67±9.20 66±4.97 171.12±0.98
P(μg/g) 1.80±0.47 12.48±1.75 20.32±0.23
Mg(μg/g) 8.22±4.91 78.43±4.60 93.62±1.12
Ca(μg/g) 191.95±33.34 1114.18±36.86 2179.20±2.05
Na(μg/g) 32.15±2.66 66.00±4.97 1019.80±1.30
K(μg/g) 49.63±11.03 187.75±55.54 8830.20±1.64
CEC(meq/100g) 6.89±1.76 22.87±4.17 21.80±0.07
%Sand (>63μm) 73±11.20 43.81±11.20 -
%Silt (

CHITRALEKHA SENGUPTA AND ANSHUMALI
Table 3: Physico-chemical parameters of the control and treatment plots
OBC(Avg±Sd)
OBV(Avg±Sd)
Parameters M, 2008 (4 mo) W, 2009(8 mo) S, 2009(12 mo) M, 2008(4 mo) W, 2009(8 mo) S, 2009(12 mo)
pH 6.21±0.39 6.19±0.31 6.78±0.15 6.02±0.07 6.36±0.32 6.53±0.32
EC(mmhos/cm) 0.17±0.05 0.31±0.19 0.18±0.05 0.51±0.09 0.39±0.10 0.14±0.04
BD(g/cc) 1.45±0.02 1.45±0.00 1.45±0.00 1.45±0.01 1.42±0.004 1.44±0.02
MC (%) 1.59±0.12 1.46±0.11 1.60±0.10 1.89±0.08 1.89±0.07 1.83±0.09
WHC (%) 18.20±0.43 18.87±0.56 21.49±0.25 18.61±0.47 19.16±0.11 22.59±0.32
OC (%) 0.97±0.10 1.34±0.32 1.49±0.44 1.03±0.12 1.25±0.13 1.14±0.11
OM (%) 1.68±0.17 2.31±0.56 2.59±0.76 1.79±0.20 2.16±0.22 1.970.±18
Avai-N(μg/g) 23.23±1.50 28.74±1.50 25.32±2.66 23.29±2.34 33.33±4.80 23.76±3.11
Avai-P(μg/g) 1.95±0.80 5.18±0.81 4.78±0.43 2.38±0.62 4.77±0.79 3.66±0.82
Exch-Mg(μg/g) 18.48±1.05 25.77±15.0 23.1±5.08 30.64±0.62 39.88±5.59 26.54±2.37
Exch-Ca (μg/g) 265.18±13.22 446.68±145 612.26±120 253.26±24.91 344.28±54.02 506.23±10.55
Exch-Na(μg/g) 39.20±3.35 38.4±4.50 28.76±9.3 55.80±16.42 46.96±0.95 47.180.98
Exch-K(μg/g) 57.20±15.61 117.6±38.2 184.4±35.4 85.40±11.87 242.6±15.93 272.4±19.71
CEC(meq/100g) 5.28±0.61 8.25±0.80 9.88±0.73 8.99±0.48 7.71±0.54 5.86±0.75
OBS(Avg±Sd)
OBM(Avg±Sd)
Parameters M, 2008 (4 mo) W, 2009 (8 mo) S, 2009 (12 mo) M, 2008 (4 mo) W, 2009 (8 mo) S, 2009 (12 mo)
pH 6.55±0.73 6.310.05 6.44±0.08 6.69±0.20 6.870.07 6.91±0.20
EC(mmhos/cm) 0.70±0.10 0.63±0.15 0.48±0.08 1.46±0.42 3.07±0.51 1.16±0.06
BD(g/cc) 1.33±0.06 1.33±0.03 1.32±0.006 1.30±0.07 1.01±0.002 1.00±0.002
MC (%) 1.75±0.09 2.17±0.13 2.08±0.16 2.00±0.08 3.07±0.06 2.96±0.06
WHC (%) 25.63±0.345 26.83±0.13 27.41±0.38 29.67±0.22 30.15±0.26 31.99±0.76
OC (%) 2.16±0.10 2.20±0.04 2.06±0.12 3.89±0.13 4.00±0.16 2.99±0.21
OM (%) 3.74±0.17 3.81±0.069 3.56±0.22 6.74±0.23 6.92±0.28 5.17±0.38
Avai-N(μg/g) 34.98±0.93 46.73±2.62 42.34±0.34 60.10±1.37 74.85±6.2 43.46±6.95
Avai-P(μg/g) 8.23±0.79 8.782±0.86 6.85±2.93 15.64±0.54 12.57±1.11 9.13±2.77
Exch-Mg (μg/g) 54.47±4.41 58.36±5.15 49.48±5.82 81.72±2.77 89.49±8.13 77.56±4.77
Exch-Ca (μg/g) 274.48±27.15 722.6±97.28 598.58±31.61 667.64±335.85 445.4±14.11 966.84±79.14
Exch-Na (μg/g) 47±4.06 139.2±8.11 137.6±6.02 45.20±9.18 255.2±14.85 122.8±4.21
Exch-K(μg/g) 68.4±25.65 624.8±69.43 638.8±24.97 111.8022.41 1510.2±156.85 1180.6±22.60
CEC (meq/100g) 10.42±1.1 13.33±1.18 13.97±0.72 20.45±1.28 25.64±1.99 25.77±1.1
time (t 2
) in months. To compare experimental plantation of
various treatment and control plots, annual increment (I) in
height and circumference was calculated per species using
the following formula (Pedraza and Williams-Linera, 2003).
I = (h 1
–h 2
) / t
Where h 1
and h 2
are heights or circumferences at times 1 and
2 and t is the total time in years.
One Way ANOVA was performed using SPSS 10. Comparison
among means was carried out using Duncan Multiple Range
Test (DMRT) at a significance level of p

IMPLICATION IN RESTORATION OF OVERBURDEN DUMPS
Plant root and shoot dry wt. (g)
Initial shoot dry wt.
Final shoot dry wt.
Initial root dry wt.
Final root dry wt.
1 OBC
2 OBV
3 OBS
4 OBM
Plant height (cm)
Initial ht.
Final ht.
1 OBC
2 OBV
3 OBS
4 OBM
A.indica D.strictus E. officinalis F. religiosa S. indica
Figure 2a: Initial (2 months) and final (12 months) root and shoot
biomass (dry weight, g control and treatment plots
development. This gradual increase in favourable physico -
chemical properties and nutrient availability in
OBC E. Officinalis > S. indica (Table
5). The H: D ratio revealed that all seedlings showed maximum
responses to treatments in terms of height growth (i.e. increased
H: D ratio) except F. religiosa where amendments resulted in
more resource allocation in fine root and circumference
development (i.e. decreased H: D ratio) (Table 6). Consequently,
the relationship between annual increment in height and
circumference is highly positive in F. Religiosa while
disproportionately large increase in height with respect to
circumference may be responsible for poor R 2 value in D.
strictus (Fig. 3). Singh et al. (2000) found similar response to
nutrient enrichment for non-leguminous species planted on
mine spoils. Generally, the trees that allocate comparatively
less resources to stem per unit of height growth are assumed
Table 5: Percentage increase in root biomass, shoot biomass, circumference and height of the plants from Jun’08 to Jul’09, of the plant species
under the control and treatment conditions along with Duncan’s Test depicting the effect of treatment on the shoot biomass (SB), root
biomass (RB), height (H) and circumference (C) of the plant species
Plant species Control and Treatment Plots % Increase in Parameters
OBC OBV OBS OBM Root Biomass (June’08- July’09)
A. indica 18.96 c 42.57 b 58.68 ab 72.70 a
E. officinalis 27.84 d 49.11 c 97.34 b 125.43 a
D. strictus 12.77 b 25.49 b 55.94 a 65.57 a
F. religiosa 46.25 c 61.10 c 91.55 b 133.59 a
S. asoka 8.80 c 13.44 b 21.57 ab 32.91 a
A. indica 11.57 d 41.56 c 82.25 b 109.25 a Shoot Biomass
E. officinalis 7.42 c 45.51 b 71.22 b 107.44 a
D. strictus 56.12 d 70.77 c 89.94 b 127.89 a
F. religiosa 12.95 c 35.95 b 58.53 a 77.43 a
S. asoka 5.74 b 10.27 b 15.04 b 31.17 a
A. indica 10.45 c 13.43 c 85.08 b 116.59 a Circumference
E. officinalis 10.85 b 15.14 b 27.08 a 28.94 a
D. strictus 13.99 b 27.76 b 30.63 ab 44.68 a
F. religiosa 13.43 c 17.95 c 36.08 b 76.49 a
S. asoka 0 a 1.96 a 7.69 a 7.51 a
A. indica 39.88 c 55.77 b 64.02 b 83.01 a Height
E. officinalis 20.79 c 31.37 c 56.38 b 104.69 a
D. strictus 44.54 d 68.34 c 98.77 b 221.93 a
F. religiosa 26.97 c 43.81 cb 60.64 b 83.29 a
S. asoka 3.15 a 3.49 a 5.68 a 6.12 a
285

CHITRALEKHA SENGUPTA AND ANSHUMALI
Annual increment in circumference
(cm)
y = 0.046x
R 2 = 0.494
A. indica
OBC
OBV
y = 0.007x
R 2 = 0.359
OBS
OBM
E..officinalis
Annual increment in height (cm)
Annual increment in height (cm)
Annual increment in circumference
(cm)
y = 0.007x
R 2 = 0.012
D. strictus
y = 0.048x
R 2 = 0.629
F. religiosa
Annual increment in height (cm)
Annual increment in height (cm)
Annual increment in circumference (cm)
y = 0.027x
R 2 = 0.153
S. indica
Figure 3: Relationship between annual increment in circumference
and height of five plant species
to grow taller than those that allocate more (King, 1981; Lawton,
1984; Singh et al., 2000). Further, the low annual increment
in height i.e. decreased RGRH and significant annual increment
in circumference i.e. increased RGRC (Table 6), support
versatile nature of F. religiosa in terms of better spoil binder,
lesser chances of getting uprooted in stress conditions, control
spoil erosion and water body siltation and promote slope
stabilization.
CONCLUSIONS
Annual increment in height (cm)
The amendments of coal mine spoils improved spoil
characteristics as indicated by positive response of plant
seedlings to OBV and OBM treatment in terms of root and
shoot growth. The D. strictus with quick and vigorous shoot
growth observed to be suitable for plantation on flat surfaces
of the dump. Since D. strictus showed good growth even in
nutrient deficient control plot so its versatility is undoubtedly
wide, however, due to high H:D ratio, its plantation along the
slopes should be discouraged as it has greater chances of
getting uprooted. The F.religiosa showed positive relationship
between annual increment in height and circumference, hence,
it can be used in the restoration of the overburden dump even
on slopes and flat surface. Similarly, E. officinalis and A. indica
would best serve for the restoration of the overburden dump
on flat surfaces. However, S. indica needs proper hardening
before its plantation in coal mine spoils. Such short term studies
can help in choosing suitable native plant species for
successful ecesis during secondary succession of mined out
areas.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are grateful to MHRD, GOI, for providing financial
assistance to conduct the research work. We are thankful to
BCCL for providing the study area and District Forest
Department, Dhanbad, for imparting valuable information
about plant seedlings. The authors also express sincere thanks
to the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering,
ISM, Dhanbad, for providing financial support and laboratory
286

IMPLICATION IN RESTORATION OF OVERBURDEN DUMPS
Table 6. H:D ratio, relative growth rate (RGR) in height (RGRH, cm/month), circumference (RGRC, cm/month), annual increment in height
(cm) and circumference (cm), between June’08 and July ’09 in control plot and experimental plots.
Plant species OBC OBV OBS OBM Parameter
A. indica 77.15±13.40 78.32±6.71 63.30±2.45 60.51±3.38 H:D ratio
E. officinalis 157.78±12.83 149.48±6.03 187.12±25.94 230.31±13.11
D. strictus 108.48±7.57 117.92±7.65 166.03±32.98 231.34±18.24
F. religiosa 51.23±9.84 54.65±4.86 54.92±4.68 47.63±1.10
S. indica 98.19±10.70 97.57±12.30 107.56±4.28 117.61±12.04
A. indica 0.026±0.008 0.034±0.004 0.038±0.006 0.047±0.005 RGRH (cm/month)
E. officinalis 0.0145±0.0029 0.021±0.00 0.034±0.008 0.056±0.002
D. strictus 0.029±0.002 0.032±0.001 0.052±0.001 0.09±0.002
F. religiosa 0.018±0.01 0.028±0.005 0.037±0.002 0.047±0.007
S. indica 0.002±0.00 0.002±0.00 0.004±0.007 0.004±0.00
A. indica 0.008±0.003 0.01±0.00 0.0469±0.0098 0.056±0.001 RGRC(cm/month)
E. officinalis 0.008±0.003 0.01±0.002 0.0183 ±0.0056 0.011±0.003
D. strictus 0.01±0.002 0.019±0.007 0.0205±0.0016 0.029±0.008
F.religiosa 0.01±0.002 0.012±0.005 0.0235 ±0.0068 0.043±0.003
S. indica 0 0 0.0070 ±0.0082 0.006±0.006
A. indica 18.11±5.03 25.67±2.32 29.72±3.90 38.32 ± 2.97 Annual increment inheight (cm)
E. officinalis 13.88 ± 3.30 21.38±0.84 37.68±8.34 72.78±1.94
D. strictus 21.60± 1.25 26.25 ± 1.24 50.67±2.10 112.39 ± 0.40
F.religiosa 6.24±3.40 9.94±1.24 13.76±1.71 18.60±2.22
S. indica 1.48±0.40 1.67±0.42 2.72 ± 0.43 2.92±0.58
A. indica 0.24±0.10 0.33±0.05 1.72±0.32 2.37±0.23 Annual increment in
circumference (cm)
E. officinalis 0.15±0.05 0.24±0.05 0.37±0.09 0.43±0.05
D. strictus 0.24±0.05 0.43±0.10 0.46±0.09 0.67 ± 0.19
F.religiosa 0.21±0.05 0.27±0.09 0.55±0.19 1.17±0.05
S. indica 0 0.03±0.005 0.09±0.016 0.09 ± 0.003
facilities to conduct this research work.
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