Assessment of revegetation of an acidic metal(loid)-polluted soils six years after the incorporation of lime with and without compost

The process of passive revegetation of chemically degraded soils through assisted remediation was assessed under field conditions 6 years after amendment application. In 2009, three treatments were applied: unamended soil (untreated), soil amended with lime, and soil amended with lime + compost. For each field plot, main soil physico-chemical characteristics were determined (pH, organic matter, moisture content at field capacity and exchangeable Cu), while plant colonist development was assessed (plant cover and aboveground biomass). The same evaluation was carried out in 2015. A single application of amendments maintains a neutral pH after 6 years. Thus, neutralization of the soil acidity was stable over time. In 2009, lime + compost was the best treatment for increasing the plant cover. Although the soil organic matter content decreases in year 6, plant cover remained stable over time in this treatment. Incorporation of both organic matter and lime was pivotal at the beginning of the revegetation process, allowing the creation of a potentially self-sustaining ecosystem. No maintenance and/or additional application of amendments was required. Aboveground biomass showed differences between years, possibly explained by changes in climate conditions between 2009 and 2015, and/or changes in nutritional conditions (soil fertility) and plant competition. Plant biodiversity in year 6 was similar for all treatments. The long-term results of plant cover show lime and specially lime + compost as promising amendments to revegetate polluted soils of the Puchuncaví Valley.