An evaluation of methods required to determine overwintering plant health in cattails growing on acidic mine tailings

Abstract

As part of an overall Ecological Engineering strategy to ameliorate acid mine drainage - a water pollution problem associated with the mining industry - by enhancing natural water treatment processes, this report has evaluated ( and discussed data obtained from) methods and analyses used to determine below-ground cattail starch quantities and distribution, metal uptake, and general morphology. With the vision of increasing plant biomass and biological polishing capacity through fertilization, results from this report will be used to formulate a sampling and analytical strategy for determining the effects of foliar fertilization on below-ground biomass of cattails growing on acidic tailings at a uranium mine in Elliot Lake, Ont. Preliminary cattail samples were collected locally and subjected to the procedures deemed appropriate for determining whether applications of foliar fertilizer on tailings-grown cattails would have an effect on plant health. The methods used during the preliminary trial were appropriate for providing data on a number of growth-related parameters and required only minor sample-specific adjustment to obtain accurate results. Data obtained while evaluating the methods, along with findings from other studies, indicated that pith size may be an important below-ground morphological indicator of plant health.