Phytoindicative evaluation of habitat conditions of soilless formations reclaimed with flotation sludge, sewage sludge and used mineral wool under the influence of the Jeziorko Sulphur Mine

The floristic observations presented below were carried out in 2011, on 5-acre plots delineated on an area of degraded soil. The soil-reclamation experiment, which began in June 2004, was set up on devastated soilless formation affected by the Jeziórko Sulfur Mine. In the experiment, the impact of different (200, 400, 800 m3 ha-1) doses of mineral wool and sewage sludge on characteristcis of the soilless formation was analyzed. The strongly acidic soilless formation (weak loamy sand) was reclaimed using flotation sludge in a dose of 100 t ha-1 for de-acidification, and various combinations of mineral wool and sewage sludge. The sward sown on plots pretreated as above consisted of a clover reclamation mixture with the following composition: Festuca pratensis – 41.2%, Festuca rubra – 19.2%, Lolium perenne – 14.7%, Lolium multiflorum – 12.4%, Dactylis glomerata – 6.5%, Trifolium pratense – 6%. A phytoindication method was employed to assess the impact of different reclamation methods of soilless formation on shaping the habitat conditions. This assessment took into account the following indicators: soil moisture, trophism, pH, organic matter content, resistance to salinity and to an increased content of heavy metals. The method for soilless formation reclamation was found to produce an effect on the analyzed ecological factors. The most favorable habitat conditions were recorded in soil reclaimed with mineral wool; they were worse in soil reclaimed with mineral wool and treated with NPK, but the worst parameters occurred in soil with the addition of sewage sludge and mineral wool.