Evaluation of the survival, production and foliar nutrient accumulation of two Salix cultivars grown on a former industrial site, supplemented with organic amendments

Abstract

Soil salinization and elevated chloride levels pose significant challenges to plant growth, water quality, and ecological equilibrium. The implementation of nature-based evapotranspiration (ET) systems utilizing short-rotation woody plants presents a viable solution to mitigate these concerns. This study evaluated the survival, yield, and foliar nutrient concentrations of two Salix cultivars, namely SX64 and Sherburne (9871-31), over a four-year study period at a former industrial waste site located in Solvay, New York. This site is characterized by alkaline, low-organic substrates with high chloride concentrations. The site underwent amendment with County biosolids (CB), Anheuser Busch biosolids (AB), and organic yard waste (YW) and combinations of CB, and AB either missed with YW or topped with YW. The SX64 had a survival rate of 89.3% in soil amended with yard waste, while Sherburne had a survival rate of 98.2% under analogous conditions. Both cultivars had very high biomass production at the end of four years. SX64 production was greatest at 68.8+6.1 Mg ha–1 when grown in soil amended with a combination of County biosolids and yard waste, whereas Sherburne produced 63.3+11.7 Mg ha–1 with a mixture of Anheuser-Busch biosolids and yard waste. The organic soil amendment treatments and cultivars affected statistically significantly (p < 0.001) on both survival rates and biomass production. Nutrient concentrations in the foliage met or exceeded the recommended thresholds for optimal Salix growth. Thus, the amendments supplied adequate nutritional support during the first rotation.  necessary.

Keywords: Salix, biosolids, yard waste, survival, Biomass, foliar nutrients