Effect of Fertilization and Bacterial Inoculation on Nutrient Status in Coal Mine Soil under Alder (Alnus sibirica) Plantation

This study was conducted to assess the effect of fertilization and nitrogen fixing (N-fixing) bacterial inoculation on the available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg), present in the coal mine soil, by growing N-fixing plant species, alder (Alnus sibirica). The study was conducted in a greenhouse of the Forest Science Department, Chungbuk National University, South Korea, during the period of May 2019 to July 2019. A completely randomized design (CRD) comprising of four treatments, including T0—non-fertilized non-inoculation (control), T1—fertilization, T2—bacterial inoculation and T3—fertilization along with bacterial inoculation with three replications were used in the study. The results of the study showed that available N (NH4+-N and NO3−-N) in the coal soil were increased by the applied treatments for alder, as compared to control. Apart from control, difference was also found for increasing ammonium (NH4+-N) between treatments T1 and T3 and for increasing nitrate (NO3−-N) between treatments T1 and T2 and treatments T2 and T3. Available P and K in the soil also increased when NPK fertilizer was applied solely, and together with inoculation to the plants but reduced at other treatments. Therefore, it can be concluded that fertilization and biological N fixation in alder plant can improve the fertility of coal mine soil, and hence, this plant species could be a good option for the reclamation of degraded coal mine soil.