EN
The objective of the research project was to determine vitality of some selected grass species: Arrhenatherum elatius, Bromus carinatus, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca arundinacea, Festuca rubra, Poa pratensis growing on ash-slag mixtures from an electricity generating plant. Investigations were carried out in years 1998-1999. In experiment A, the effect of 0, 15, 30 and 60% aqueous solutions obtained from ashes on seed germination of selected grass species was analysed. Furthermore, growth and development of their seedlings were studied. In experiment B, the effect of ashes on the growth and development of plants in their initial stage of life, i.e. in the year of sowing, growing on a mixture of ashes and slag was studied. The control treatment was a grey-brown podzolic soil. Growth and dcvelopment of plants of selected grass species were analysed for two levels of fertilisation: treatment without fertilisation and with fertilisation in the dose of 140 kg N, 120 kg P2O5 and 120 kg K2O. The following factors were determined in this experiment: number of plants per unit area, height of the over-ground parts, chlorophyll concentration (Minolta N-Tester), yield of over-ground and root weight. On the basis of pcrformed investigations it was found that the aqueous extract from the ashes of coal burnt in the electricity generating plant did not have a negative influence on the sced germination as well as on the growth and development of seedlings of Arrhenatherum elatius, Bromus carinatus, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca arundinacea, Festuca rubra and Poa pratensis which indicates a negligible effect of the solubility and leaching of ash components that can affect the course of plant life processes in the examined stages of their growth. Ashes from the electricity generating plant do not constitute a favourable edaphic environment for the growth and development of the examined grass species. The main factors inhibiting the appropriate course of these processes include: lack of nitrogen and high alkalinity of the substrate. Negative effects of ashes were visible in a very low plant fertility, formation of narrow and small leaf blades, poor spreading capability and a tendency for dying out of plants. From among the examined grasses, Poa pratensis and Festuca rubra can prove suitable for biological reclamation of disposal sites of ashes from power generating plants as they were found to form a high stocking rate and strong turf cover constituting an effective protection against ash dusting already in the year of their sowing. Satisfactory results of the process of biological reclamation of disposal sites of ashes from power generating plants can be achieved by enriching them with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium supplied as mineral fertilisers. Dactylis glomerata and Festuca arundinacea were found less suitable for biological reclamation of disposal sites of ashes from power generating plants. However, their usefulness can be improved by minerał fertilisation. Arrhenatherum elatius and Bromus carinatus proved to be quite unsuitable for the process of biological reclamation of ash disposal sites because they died out very quickly, especially when no mineral fertilisation was applied.