Abstract

ROMO CAMPOS, Rosa de Lourdes; CONTRERAS RODRIGUEZ, Sergio Honorio; HUERTA MARTINEZ, Francisco Martín  and  MUNOZ URIAS, Alejando. Effect of vermicompost on growth and biomass increase of Aeschynomene americana L. in strip mine spoil banks. Terra Latinoam [online]. 2009, vol.27, n.2, pp.115-121. ISSN 2395-8030.

The effect of vermicompost on the establishment and growth of Aeschynomene americana was evaluated in abandoned mine-spoil as a strategy for its restoration. 1 m² plots with 1 kg m^-2 vermicompost (Eisenia foetida earthworm compost) were established and compared with a control without vermicompost. After one crop cycle it was observed that vermicompost did not affect the establishment of this legume because differences in plant survival were not significant (10 and 16%). Nevertheless, differences observed in growth were significant; the plants treated with vermicompost grew 8 times taller than the control. This difference was also observed in the accumulation of biomass at the end of the plant's life cycle (120 days): the treated plants accumulated 21.7 g m^-2 dry weight, of which 7 g m^-2 were allocated in fruit, while the control plants accumulated 1.5 g m^-2 biomass and only 0.2 g m^-2 was allotted to fruits; thus, plants of this treatment did not produce seeds. The roots of plants with vermicompost formed a smaller proportion of the total biomass than those of the control treatment. Thus earthworm compost applications guarantees A. americana development until seed set.

Keywords : vermicompost; restoration; open-field mines.

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