Abstract

Bheki G. Maliba1, Alpheus M. Zobolo and Stefan J. Siebert

The rehabilitation of a quarry was conducted with selected grass species in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The seed cocktail applied contained Chloris gayana, Cynodon dactylon, Digitaria eriantha, Eragrostis curvula, Panicum maximum and Paspalum distichum. Three treatments used were: No soil enhancement (control), poultry manure application, and commercial fertilizer application. Four months after sowing, the percentage grass cover per 1 m2 of treatment was 33% for the control, 65% where manure was applied and 76% with fertilizer application. Both fertilizer and manure applications promoted the colonization of grass species. Fertilizer application significantly increased biomass of grass (P 0.05). Poultry manure resulted in higher biomass of approximately 5 g per m2 more than the control; however the mean was not significantly different from the control (P 0.05). These results suggest that fertilizer application prior to seed sowing in a rehabilitated quarry provide the highest biomass after four months. The application of poultry manure proved to be a cheaper option to increase aboveground plant cover in a rehabilitated area, but it is less effective than fertilizer in terms of biomass production.