Effects of sheep-manure- and humic-acid-based amendments on alpine mine soil restoration.
Kong L, Gu Q, Cao H, Li X, Huang Z
Soil Health
Restoring a stripped hillside or compacted garden bed works on the same principle: organic matter like manure rebuilds the living soil community that makes nutrients available to plants in the first place.
Mining on the Tibetan Plateau leaves behind soils that are nutrient-poor and nearly lifeless. Researchers tried adding sheep manure and humic acid (a natural compound from decomposed organic matter) to these damaged soils and found that both improved soil health — but sheep manure was the standout, boosting nutrients and even pulling down levels of harmful heavy metals. The treated soils also developed richer, more diverse communities of bacteria, which are the tiny organisms that keep soil fertile and plants fed.
Key Findings
Sheep manure enhanced all measured nutrients and reduced heavy metal concentrations, outperforming humic acid across most metrics.
Bacterial diversity increased with both amendments, driven primarily by changes in bulk density, available phosphorus, potassium, and organic matter.
Low-dose humic acid increased soil organic matter and nitrogen but unexpectedly reduced available phosphorus, suggesting dose matters.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Adding sheep manure or humic acid to degraded mine soils at high altitude in Tibet significantly improved soil nutrients, supported plant growth, and boosted the diversity of beneficial soil bacteria. Sheep manure was especially effective, also reducing heavy metal concentrations in the soil.
Abstract Preview
Unsustainable mining on the Tibetan Plateau has disrupted vegetation and soil, depleting nutrients and altering bacterial communities. We assessed the effects of humic acid and sheep manure on soil...
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