MICRONUTRIENT CONCENTRATIONS VARY BETWEEN PEAT-MINERAL MIX AND SUBSTRATES IN REVEGETATED SITES IN THE ALBERTA OIL SANDS

Adequate supply of micronutrients is essential for plant growth in reclaimed sites in the Athabasca oil sands region. The objectives of this study were to determine boron, iron, manganese, copper and zinc concentrations in peat mineral mix (PMM), tailings sand (TS) and overburden (OB) materials and to assess whether lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) planted on PMM over TS and white spruce (Picea glauca) planted on PMM over OB had low foliar micronutrient concentrations. Micronutrient concentrations determined using LiNO3 and Mehlich-3 extractions were different between PMM and TS in the pine sites while only LiNO3 extractable boron was different between PMM and OB in the spruce sites (pThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author