The role of organic amendments as drivers of soil structural recovery in semi-arid technosols

Lopez, J. , Soria, R. , Sole-Benet, A. , Ortega, R. , Miralles, I.

2026-04-01 ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING 2026   225(卷), null(期), (null页)

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Recovering soil structure is a critical step in the rehabilitation of technosols severely degraded by opencast mining, especially under semiarid conditions where natural recovery is slow. This study evaluated the effect of three organic amendments (compost derived from greenhouse crop wastes, compost from pruning and gardening residues, and stabilized sewage sludge) on the structural and biological recovery of quarry technosols over a fiveyear restoration period. Each amendment was applied to field plots, and changes in physical, chemical, biochemical, and micromorphological properties were assessed. All amendments substantially increased total organic carbon, available phosphorus, total nitrogen, and water-holding capacity, while reducing bulk density and maintaining the clay-loam texture. Basal respiration and enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, beta-glucosidase, urease, and alkaline phosphatase) significantly increased, particularly in sewage-sludge and greenhouse crop treatments. Aggregate stability improved by about 25% relative to the control and was strongly associated with glomalin-related soil proteins (R2 = 0.51). Thin-section analyses revealed greater porosity, organic groundmass, and aggregate abundance in amended technosols, especially beneath plant cover. Overall, the results demonstrate that organic amendments play a pivotal role in promoting early stages of soil structure formation in technosols, with distinct mechanisms depending on the type of organic input. The integration of micromorphological, biochemical, and multivariate analyses provides a novel approach to understanding how organic conditioners drive aggregate formation and structural recovery in degraded soils.