Background Land deterioration caused by mining exploitation has been highly focused all around the world. The mine soil dump is the main factor causing the ecological issues around the mine sites, such as air pollution, water pollution and soil erosion. Hence, the mine soil restoration and treatment has been considered as a great issue. This article aimed to reveal the performance of various plants in soil improvement of a mine dump.

Methods To understand the improved effects of different plants on root region soil in the depth of 0 to 50 cm, three tree species (Ulmus pumila, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Rhus typhina) and three shrub species (Amorpha fruticosa, Vitex negundo, and Periploca sepium Bunge) from artificial forests and weeds were selected as research objects. The physical properties around the soil region of different plants were thoroughly evaluated by principal component analysis method.

Results Field capacity of soil around the root regions of seven plant species generally increased firstly and then decreased as the soil depth increased. The field capacity at each soil layer around the root region of R. typhina was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of other species, followed by that of U. pumila. The soil bulk density at each soil layer around the root region of R. typhina was the lowest among all species. While the soil bulk density at the soil depth of 0 to 10 cm, 20 to 30 cm around the root regions of A. fruticosa was the highest among all species. It was found that the soil bulk density around the root regions of tree species was lower than that of shrub species. In the soil around the root regions of seven plant species, the content of sand grain was higher than that of silt and clay grains. At the depth of 0 to 10 cm of soil near the roots of P. sepium, the content of silt and clay grains were greater than others. At the soil depth of 10 to 20 cm, the content of silt and clay grains around the root regions of tree species were higher than that of shrub species. And at the soil depth of 30 to 50 cm around the root region, the content of silt and clay grains decreased with the increase of soil depth. The physical properties of soil using principal component analysis showed that R. typhina > U. pumila > R. pseudoacacia > P. sepium > weeds > V. negundo > A. fruticosa.

Conclusions For the reclamation of the mine dump in the studied area, trees such as R. typhina might be prioritized to be chosen, which not only helps to improve the forest health but also to enhance the potential for soil production. This study would provide reference for soil improvement effects of different plants on the root region soil of mine dump, and provide evidence for the vegetation restoration and reconstruction of the dump.