Evaluating corn, tall fescue and canola growth on sediments dredged from the Lorain Harbor

Abstract

Soil degradation is a worldwide problem, causing the declining performance of many plant species. Recently, the application of sediments dredged from aquatic waterways has received attention for their potential as an organic amendment to revive degraded agricultural soils. In Ohio, dredged sediment research has largely focused on the success of corn (Zea mays) or soybean (Glycine max) following the application of dredged sediments from the Toledo Harbor, neglecting the potential for dredged sediments from the other eight harbors and waterways to change plant performance as well as failing to quantify benefits for other commonly grown crops in the region. In a greenhouse experiment, we applied dredged sediments from the Lorain Harbor to degraded agricultural soils across a variety of application ratios and quantified changes in germination, height over the growing season, final biomass, and yield for canola (Brassica napus), tall fescue KY 31 (Festuca arundinacea), and corn to better understand the potential for dredged sediments from this location to increase performance for a variety of regionally important plant species. Overall, plants grown on agricultural soils supplemented with dredged sediments from the Lorain Harbor consistently grew taller, faster, and were larger than the 100% dredged sediment treatments. Furthermore, both corn and tall fescue grown on agricultural soil supplemented with dredged sediments had greater yield compared to their counterparts grown on unamended agricultural soil. In whole, outcomes from this research contribute to a growing body of research that support the use of dredged sediments as a soil amendment for agricultural soils.