Aboveground physiological response and yield prediction of Chloris gayana and Digitaria eriantha grown in rehabilitated coal mined soils using random forest algorithm

A recent study demonstrated that a blend of amendments improved both the physical and hydraulic properties of reclaimed mine soils more effectively than standard mine treatments, suggesting further research on its impact on plant growth. Additionally, there is currently no published research that has examined the potential of the random forest (RF) algorithm for predicting the aboveground yield of Chloris gayana (Rhodes grass) and Digitaria eriantha (Smutsfinger grass) grown in reclaimed mine soils. To address this, a field trial of 36 bins consisting of nine treatments and four replications each was conducted in a randomized block design at the experimental farm of the University of Pretoria. The results showed that the dry matter yield, leaf area index, and leaf water potential were all significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the treatment. The blend of amendments increased aboveground dry matter yield by 70%–150% and leaf area index by 60%–95%. These improvements significantly enhanced productivity and, consequently, the carrying capacity of the rehabilitated land compared to the standard mine treatment of liming and fertilization. The most important wavelengths for predicting aboveground yield were located in the visible (400–700 nm) region of the electromagnetic spectrum, yielding an r2 of 0.90, mean absolute error of 0.183 t ha−1 and root mean square error of 0.255 t ha−1. These findings demonstrate that a blend of amendments can enhance the production potential of these grasses by improving soil nutrient availability. However, the longevity of these effects needs to be verified through long‐term studies. The results also indicate that RF algorithm can accurately predict aboveground yield of C. gayana and D. eriantha accurately based on changes in the plant canopy spectral signature.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Agrosystems, Geosciences &amp; Environment

• Publication date

  2025-08-24

• Fields of study

  Not labeled

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1002/agg2.70204
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Restoring Soil Health: A Study on Effective Microorganisms and Maize Straw Applications

  2025cited by this paper
• Phenology-based winter wheat classification for crop growth monitoring using multi-temporal sentinel-2 satellite data

  2024cited by this paper
• Monitoring of Nitrogen Indices in Wheat Leaves Based on the Integration of Spectral and Canopy Structure Information

  2022cited by this paper
• A comparison among interpretative proposals for Random Forests

  2021cited by this paper
• Can a Blend of Amendments be an Important Component of a Rehabilitation Strategy for Surface Coal Mined Soils?

  2019cited by this paper
• The linear random forest algorithm and its advantages in machine learning assisted logging regression modeling

  2019cited by this paper
• Response of arthropod communities to plant-community rehabilitation efforts after strip mining on the semi-arid west coast of South Africa§

  2018cited by this paper
• Effects of stockpiling on selected properties of opencast coal mine soils

  2018cited by this paper
• Organic Amendment Under Increasing Agricultural Intensification: Effects on Soil Bacterial Communities and Plant Productivity

  2018cited by this paper
• Soil water balance dynamics on reclaimed mine land in the southwestern United States

  2017cited by this paper
• Restoring Ecosystem Function in Degraded Urban Soil Using Biosolids, Biosolids Blend, and Compost.

  2016cited by this paper
• Grassland compost amendments increase plant production without changing plant communities

  2016cited by this paper
• Selective coal mine overburden treatment with topsoil and compost to optimise pasture or native vegetation establishment.

  2016cited by this paper
• Remote Sensing of Grass Response to Drought Stress Using Spectroscopic Techniques and Canopy Reflectance Model Inversion

  2016cited by this paper
• Soil quality indicators to assess functionality of restored soils in degraded semiarid ecosystems

  2016cited by this paper
• Effects of vegetation on runoff and soil erosion on reclaimed land in an opencast coal-mine dump in a loess area

  2015cited by this paper
• Fly ash for soil amelioration: A review on the influence of ash blending with inorganic and organic amendments

  2014cited by this paper
• Plasmolysis: Loss of Turgor and Beyond

  2014cited by this paper
• Estimating standing biomass in papyrus (Cyperus papyrus L.) swamp: exploratory of in situ hyperspectral indices and random forest regression

  2014cited by this paper
• Hyperspectral reflectance features of water hyacinth growing under feeding stresses of Neochetina spp. and different heavy metal pollutants

  2014cited by this paper
• Assessing the impact of soil degradation on food production

  2012cited by this paper
• GROWTH AND YIELD COMPARISON OF PERENNIAL GRASSES AS RAINFED FODDER PRODUCTION

  2012cited by this paper
• Discriminating the papyrus vegetation (Cyperus papyrus L.) and its co-existent species using random forest and hyperspectral data resampled to HYMAP

  2012cited by this paper
• Discriminating the early stages of Sirex noctilio infestation using classification tree ensembles and shortwave infrared bands

  2011cited by this paper
• Enhancing Carbon and Nitrogen Sequestration in Reclaimed Soils through Organic Amendments and Chiseling

  2009cited by this paper
• Reflectance characteristics of Russian wheat aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) stress and abundance in winter wheat

  2007cited by this paper
• Estimation of green grass/herb biomass from airborne hyperspectral imagery using spectral indices and partial least squares regression

  2007cited by this paper
• Long-term impact of conservation tillage on stratification ratio of soil organic carbon and loss of total and active CaCO3

  2006cited by this paper
• The potential and challenge of remote sensing‐based biomass estimation

  2006cited by this paper
• COMPOST INCORPORATION INCREASES PLANT AVAILABLE WATER IN A DRASTICALLY DISTURBED SERPENTINE SOIL

  2005cited by this paper
• Above-ground biomass assessments and first cutting cycle production in willow (Salix sp.) coppice¿a comparison between destructive and non-destructive methods

  2004cited by this paper
• Narrow band vegetation indices overcome the saturation problem in biomass estimation

  2004cited by this paper
• Soil Quality for Sustainable Land Management: Organic Matter and Aggregation Interactions that Maintain Soil Functions

  2002cited by this paper
• Soil Stockpiling for Reclamation and Restoration activities after Mining and Construction

  1999cited by this paper
• The red edge position and shape as indicators of plant chlorophyll content, biomass and hydric status.

  1994cited by this paper
• Comparative Physiological Studies on the Growth of Field Crops: I. Variation in Net Assimilation Rate and Leaf Area between Species and Varieties, and within and between Years

  1947cited by this paper

• No citing papers are available for this paper.