Effects of plant types on physico-chemical properties of reclaimed mining soil in Inner Mongolia, China

A field experiment was conducted in Jungar Banner, Inner Mongolia, China to study the effects of plant types on the physical structure and chemical properties of open-cast mining soils reclaimed for 15 years, and to analyze the triggering factors of the soil formation. Results indicate that plant types affect soil-forming process especially in the upper layer (0–20 cm), and the spatial structure of reclaimed plant is the main reason for variability of the soil-forming process. In the upper soil layer at the site reclaimed with mixed plants, the concentrations of soil organic matter (SOM) and soil organic carbon (SOC) are the highest, and they were significantly higher at the sites reclaimed with Leymus chinensis, Caragana sinica, which is mainly due to a large amount of litter fall and root exudation in herbages and shrubs. However, the concentrations of SOM and SOC in the soils at the reclaimed sites are quite low comparing with those in local primary soil, which indicates the importance of using organic amendments during the ecological restoration in the study area.