Bacterial Inoculation and Hydroseeding Enhance Establishment of Revegetation Species on Nickel Mine Overburden: A Contribution to SDG 15
DOI:
10.29303/jppipa.v12i5.14808Published:
2026-05-25Downloads
Abstract
Nickel (Ni) is the most widely produced mining commodity in Indonesia, but mining activities often leave soils with severe physical and chemical limitations that hinder plant establishment and frequently cause revegetation failure during the early growth phase. Hydroseeding and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been studied as approaches for post-mining land reclamation; however, their combined application across different types of Ni overburden has been rarely evaluated. This study aimed to analyze the interaction between planting methods, bacterial inoculation, and overburden types on the germination index and early leaf formation (3–14 days after sowing). The experiment was conducted through a laboratory-scale early growth test using a completely randomized factorial design, and data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the interaction between bacterial inoculation and application method consistently influenced the germination rate of Cynodon dactylon. In contrast, the planting method independently played a dominant role in the germination index of Crotalaria juncea and in the number of leaves of both species. The results showed that the interaction between bacterial inoculation and application method consistently affected the germination rate of C. dactylon. Conversely, the planting method independently played a dominant role in the germination index of C. juncea and the number of leaves of both species. Hydroseeding increased the germination by 186.41 – 7062.5% (in C. dactylon) and 15 – 3688% (in C. juncea). Bacterial inoculation was unable to increase the germination of C. dactylon, but it was able to increase the germination of C. juncea by 7.5 – 650% compared to that without inoculation. These findings demonstrate that integrating hydroseeding techniques with microbial inoculation can enhance early plant establishment on Ni mine overburden and support ecological restoration efforts aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land). Therefore, it is recommended that revegetation programs in post-Ni mining areas integrate hydroseeding with microbial inoculation and promote community-based restoration initiatives to improve early vegetation establishment and long-term ecosystem recovery.
Keywords:
Early establishment Germination Hydroseeding Inoculation Nickel overburdenReferences
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