Suo - Mires and peat 31 (1980)

• Metsänheimo, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

The experiment was carried out in Kolari, northern Finland (67°14'N; 23°48'E). The experimental field was an open Sphagnum fuscum-bog with a dense but low-producing cloudberry stand. Phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium fertilizers were laid in the depth of either 10 or 20 centimetres. No combined fertilizers were used. The rhizomes of cloudberry in this bog are usually in the depth of 5—15 centimetres and roots go often much deeper (at least to 40 centimetres). The experimental field was fertilized in June 1975 and the observations were made 1975—1979. The effects of fertilization were slight and lasted only for about three years. Nitrogen had the clearest effect. The leaf size increased in 1975 (fig. 3—6) and probably the higher biomass production increased the number of shoots and flowers in 1976—1977 (fig. 1, 2, 7 and 8). Phosphorus had little effect on leaf size, but the number of shoots and flowers increased in some degree in 1976—1977. Potassium caused larger leaves in 1975, but later its effects were slight. No yield was got in 1975—1977 because of hard night frosts in early June. In 1978—1979 there was no difference in yield between different fertilizer treatments. Berries were exceptionally small in all treatments (mean weight 0.5 grams). The most probable reason for the weak effect of fertilization is the high water level on an unditched bog. The peat is moist almost all summer and nutrients are released only when the frozen peat is thawing in spring and early summer and later only when the peat is temporarily drying. Also the fertilizers are probably attached to the moist peat. The result is that this kind of fertilization of cloudberry on an unditched bog is by no means profitable.

• Kortesharju, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo
• Rantala, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

Turpeen ioninvaihtotutkimuksiemme tässä osassa olemme tutkineet alkaali-, maa-alkaali-, eräiden kolmenarvoisten metallien, hopea-, elohopea(II)- ja ammoniumionien, adsorpoitumista turpeeseen. Alkali- ja maa-alkalimetalli-ionit noudattavat ionsäteittensä mukaista odotettua sitoutumista eli että pienemmän ionisäteen omaava ioni sitoutuu voimakkaimmin. Ainoan poikkeuksen tekee stronttiumioni, jonka sitoutuminen on poikkeuksellisen voimakasia. Pyrimme selvittämään jatkossa syyn stronttiumin voimakkaaseen kela-toitumiseen. Myöskin ammoniumioni on poikkeava, sillä se ei absorpoidu lainkaan turpeeseen näissä tutkimusolosuhteissa. Kolmiarvoisten raskaiden metalli-ionien tutkimuksiin vaikuttavat jo niiden taipumus muodostaa hydroksideja. Tämä aiheuttaa tuloksissa huomattavaa hajontaa, mikä voidaan todeta kuvasta 3. Elohopea(II)-ioni absorpoituu pylväsko-keissa huomattavan voimakkaasti, mutta staattisissa ravistelukokeissa heikohkosti. Tämä johtunee elohopean hydroksidien muodostuksesta. Koska turve on yhä halpa materiaali ja öljypohjaisten ioninvaihtohartsien hinta kohoaa jatkuvasti, niin on syytä jatkaa turpeen ioninvaihto-ominaisuuksien tutkimuksia. Tulevien tutkimusten tarkoituksena on selvittää niitä tekijöitä, jotka vaikuttavat eniten ioninvaihto-ominaisuuksiin, jotta löytäisimme keinot parantaa turpeen ionin-vaihtokapasiteettia ja mahdollisesti saada käyttökelpoinen vaihtoehto nykyisille ionin-vaihtohartseille.

• Tummavuori, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo
• Aho, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

The feasibility of peat for indicating metal contents of water has been studied at three sewage treatment plants. Sphagnum peat was washed with dilute hydrochloric acid to remove the metals present. Several peat samples were put in effluent water simultaneously for period of one to 34 days. The peat samples were thereafter analysed for Ca, Fe, Zn, Mn, Si, Ti, Ni and Pb by X-ray fluorescence and for Mg, Cu and Cr by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Ash content of the peat increased to 7 ... 14 %. The Ca content increased up to 2,5 % in one or two days. Fe content increased also up to 1—3 %, but the time was longer. Usually all the other elements were at the level of at most some hundred ppm. There was no great difference in the quality of effluent water from the three sewage treatment plants. However, in one case Zn, Ni and Cu contents increased very rapidly pointing to a sudden change in the metal content of the water. According to this it seems that the method could be used as a cheap indicator for sudden changes in metal contents of effluent industrial waste water.

• Koski, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo
• Yliruokanen, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

Little research has been done in the field of mushroom flora in the Finnish peatland ecosystems. The mushrooms play an important role in the energy circulation, by producing and decomposing organic matter and by forming mycorrhiza with other plants, particularly with trees (Pinus syl-vestris and Betula pubescens). The computer analysis of the vegetation revealed several vegetational groups, here referred to as vegetation types, which differed distinctly from each other. Dominant species could be found, both from the bottom and field layers (Salo 1979). The moist vegetation types are represented by Sphagnum species and the dry vegetation types are represented by feather mosses and Eriophorum vaginatum (Table 1). This investigation was carried out during 1975 and 1976 at the Alkkia experimental area of the Parkano Forest Research Station in Central Finland. The material was obtained from 38 experimental plots, comprising a total area of 1,16 ha. During the work, a total of 16 843 fruit bodies were collected in 1975 and 10 362 specimens in 1976. From the in-vestigated area a total of 107 species of fungi were found during the growing seasons of 1975 and 1976 (Table 2). Frequent mycorrhizal species were Lactarius rufus, L. helvus, Russula emetica and Dermocybe cinnamomeolutea on the virgin dwarf-shrub pine bog and on the vegetation type of Sphagnum fuscum-Calluna (Table 1). Less frequent species were Suillus variegatus, S. flavidus, Inocybe boltonii, Dermocybe palustris and Corti-narius paleaceus. On the moist Sphagnum-sites and on hummocks saprophytic species Galerina tibiicystis, Omphalina ericetorum, Nematoloma udum, Collybia dryophila (light race), C. tuberosa, Cysto-derma amianthinum coll. and Mycena galopus were frequent. Uncommon were Galerina stagnina, Lyophyllum palustre, Rhodophyllus sp., Nematoloma elongatipes, Alnicola sp., Rhodocybe sp., Xeromphalina sp. and Strobilurus tenacellus (Table 2). 33 species of mushrooms grew on the moist Sphagnum-sites. Where the drainage is older, Pleurozium schreberi has become the dominant moss in the bottom layer. In these driest vegetation types (Pleurozium-Polytrichum commune-Calluna and Pleurozium-Ledum) 40 years after drainage (Table 1) the mushroom flora was abundant. Several species of mycorrhizal and saprophytic mushrooms typical for mineral soils and spruce mires occured, alltogether 92 species. 47 of the species (44,0 %) were mycorrhizal mushrooms and 60 (56,0 %) sapro phytic.

• Salo, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

Turpeen kuljetukseen liittyviä ongelmia on tarkasteltu sekä laiteteknisesti että myös kustannusten kannalta, mutta toistaiseksi matemaattisten mallien käyttäminen näihin ongelmiin on ollut vähäistä (Salonen, 1979). Olemme kehittäneet yksinkertaisen lineaarisen mallin, jolla turpeen kuljetuksia voidaan tarkastella matemaattista lähesty-mistapaa noudattaen.Kokonaisratkaisu koostuu kuvassa 1 esitetyssä kaaviossa. Varastojen valvonta, kuljetuskustan-nuksien seuranta ja käyttäjien vaatimukset ovat tarvittavaa perustietoa. Tämän jälkeen generoidaan lineaarisen mallin vaatima syöttötietomatriisi. Kuljetusten optimointi tapahtuu käyttäen yhtälöitä 1—4 ja laskennan antamia tuloksia käytetään hyväksi päätöksenteossa. Mallissa otetaan huomioon kuljetustavat, vuodenajat ja eri kuljetusreittien vaikutus. Tuloksia tarkasteltaessa ja tulkittaessa käytetään hyväksi herkkyysanalyysiä.

• Mauranen, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo
• Nyrönen, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo
• Siekkinen, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

Turpeen ioninvaihto-ominaisuuksia tutkittaessa kohdataan heti aluksi kaksi vaikeutta: 1) tutkimusmenetelmän valinta, 2) turpeen esikäsittely tutkimuksia varten. Valitsimme tutkimusmenetelmiksi staattisen ravistelumenetelmän, jossa tunnettua määrää turvetta ravisteltiin metalliliuoksella kunnes oli saavutettu tasapainotila. Tämän jälkeen liuoksen metallipitoisuus määritettiin ja sen muutoksesta alkuperäisen liuospitoisuuden nähden voitiin laskea turpeeseen sitoutuneen metalli-ioninmäärän. Toiseksi menetelmäksi valitsimme dynaamisen menetelmän, jossa tunnetun turvemää-rän läpi valutetaan vakionopeudella vakio-pitoista metalli-ionin liuosta. Liuoksen konsentraation muutoksesta voidaan laskea turpeen sitoma metalli-ionien määrä. Kuten kuvasta 4 selviää, niin pylväskokeilla saadaan suuremmat ioninvaihtokapasiteetin arvot kuin ravistelukokeilla. Kokeisiin käytimme sellaisenaan jyrsinturvetta. Eri ionien adsorptiojärjestys noudattaa Irwing-Williams'in siirtymäalkuainemetallien kompleksinmuodostusjärjestystä (Kuva 4 ja 5). Tämä on osoituksena, että lähinnä kemiallisten sidosten muodostus turpeen komponenttien ja metalli-ionien välillä hallitsee ionien adsorptiota, josta syystä ioninvaihtokapasiteetin arvo on myös voimakkaasti pHista riippuvainen (Kuva 6). Ei ainoastaan turvetyyppi, vaan myös suon sijainti vaikuttaa turpeen ionien vaihto-ominaisuuksiin. Kun verrataan eri tutkijoiden saamia tuloksia keskenään, niin on muistettava, että tutkimustulokset riippuvat suuresti käytetystä tutkimusmenetelmästä ja turpeen esikäsittelystä.

• Tummavuori, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo
• Aho, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

• Niskanen, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

Since 1969 the effect, as well as the need and practical possibilities, of runoff regulation in peatland areas drained for forestry have been studied experimentally by the author (Pelkonen 1975, 1976, 1979). The drainage requirements of tree stands growing on peatlands have been shown to vary considerably during the growing season. When the water table was kept close to the soil surface during spring and early summer by damming (Fig. 1), no harmful effects were noticed. Instead, quite opposite tendencies were detected during dry and warm summers. As the project is now being expanded, some further aspects of damming are dealt with. Water consumption by trees in June usually exceeds the water input as rainfall. Hence the water table should be high. Owing to the greater oxygen requirements of the roots as well as the higher probability of high-rainfall periods in late summer and autumn, the water table should be deeper than in spring and early summer (Fig. 2). In 1976, a 15-ha peatland area was drained using 110-cm deep open ditches with a spacing of 20 m between the ditches. This is a rather effective combination compared with Finnish drainage norms. Peat dams fitted with plastic discharge tubes were constructed in part of the ditches (Fig. 3). The water level in the ditch was raised by plugging the inlet end of the plastic tubes in late autumn. By keeping the inlets closed untill the end of June, the water table was maintained at depth 15—20 cm above that in the undammed strips during early summer (Fig. 4). In spite of practically constant rain fall during July and August, damming did not prevent the watertable from dropping sufficiently during late summer. In order to obtain the maximum effect from damming, the ditch network described above was planned so as to have as small a slope as possible. During damming, the ditches were almost completely filled with water. As a consequence, no vegetation appeared in the ditches during the first four years (Fig. 7 and 8). In the undammed ditches the development of vegetation was fast (Fig. 5 and 6). Owing to the slight slope of the ditch network, no direct conclusions regarding the positive effect of damming on the deterioration of open ditches can be drawn. It is well known, however, that the problem of ditch deterioration is most pronounced in areas characterized by insufficient slope. As the construction of regulated ditch networks is easily carried out in such areas, the positive effect on ditch condition might prove one of the most important arguments when considering their practical use.

• Pelkonen, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

Due to climatic differences, vegetational variation occurs even within the same mire types from southern to northern parts of Finland. Accordingly, geographical differences in fertility can be expected. This material was collected from 338 sites in South Finland and 468 sites in North Finland during the 1960s (Fig. 1). When sampling virgin peat soils in routine soil survey work, three samples were collected from each site; depths 0—20, 20—40 and 40—60 cm. The pH (H2O) and acid ammonium acetate extractable Ca, K, and P were determined from all samples. In addition, N and humus percentages were determined from surface soil samples. The average pH (H2O) in different layers of Carex dominated peat soils was 0,1— 0,4 pH-units lower in South than in North Finland and the corresponding differences in Sphagnum dominated peat soils were 0,2—0,3 pH-units (Table 2). Average contents of ammonium acetate extractable potassium and especially calcium and phosphorus were higher in South than in North Finland. One reason for higher soluble nutrient contents in the South may be the lower pH in southern peat soils. Also the mineral subsoil underlaying the peat may have an effect on the fertility properties of the peats. In general, northern mineral soils are coarser in texture and poorer in nutrients than those in the South. The total nitrogen contents of Carex dominated peat soils were 21 per cent higher in northern than in southern peat soils and those of Sphagnum dominated peat soils 17 per cent higher. This may be partly due to the fact that within both peat types (Carex and Sphagnum) the composition of plant species responsible for peat formation varies from south to north. According to the differences in nitrogen contents, the C/N ratios, an index indicating the quality of peat, were smaller in the northern peat soils.

• Urvas, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

The CO2-exchange of the Sphagnum fuscum — Empetrum nigrum community of a South Finnish raised bog was studied in the laboratory at different combinations of irradiance and temperature conditions during one growing season. The CO2-exchange of the community was divided into three components, namely those due to Empetrum nigrum, Sphagnum fuscum and peat, respectively. In the conditions used the maximum net CO2 exchange of Empetrum nigrum was c. 200 and that of Sphagnum fuscum c. 250 mg CO2 m-1 h-1. The total respiration in peat increased exponentially from 50 to 350 mg CO2 m-2 h-1 with increasing temperature from 5 to 30°C. On the basis of the laboratory measurements and of the data on actual field temperatures and irradiation the budget of organic matter for the community was simulated. The net production of 74 for Empetrum and 243 g (dw) m-2 for Sphagnum was predicted for six months period (May 1—Oct 31). The amount of peat decomposed was 233 (g (dw) m-2. The net result for the whole community was 84 g (dw) m-2. The average peat accumulation of the bog in question is c. 40 g (dw) m-2 yr-1. The difference depends most probably on the respiration in winter and on the decomposition of peat deeper than 17 cm, which were not included in simulation.

• Silvola, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

The objects of Suoseura established on April 29, 1949, were general research of peatlands and peats and promoting their appropriate and economic utilization. The Society has at present about 600 members including experts in natural sciences, agriculture, forestry, representatives of peat industry, and peat experts in practice. The Society realizes its objects by arranging 6—8 meetings annually. At these meetings, the latest research results or improvements in peatland utilization are introduced. The lectures have most commonly discussed properties and classification of virgin peat and peatlands and their utilization in agriculture, horticulture, afforestation and peat industry. The most important lectures are published in the periodical of the Society, "Suo", which comes out in 4—6 numbers a year, in total about 100 pages. The lectures are usually published in Finnish with a summary in English. The Society also arranges annually excursions to objects of current interest in the home country and occasionally to neighbouring countries as well. Furthermore, members have lectured on their travel observations concerning peatlands of Europe, the United States and Canada and their utilization. The Finnish Peatland Society participates actively in the international cooperation in the field. It has established the IPS Finnish National Committee and its members attend actively international congresses and symposiums abroad and certainly in Finland. For facilitating international cooperation the Society published a Peat Land Terminology as early as in 1956. This publi-cation in German-Finnish-Swedish-English included about 250 peatland words. In 1972, the Society published a review of Finnish peatlands, "Finnish Peatlands and their Utilization"", 61 p. "

• Kivinen, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

By the end of this century the peat industry in Finland will leave an area of approximately 50 000 hectares behind, an area where the peat mining is over and the problems of further utilization must be solved. There is still a thin bottom peat layer left above the mineral soil. This layer of 30—50 cm bottom peat is a fertile growing media for different cultivated plants. First, as an environment it is exceptionally sterile. There are no weeds, no diseases, no insects. Secondly, the bottom peat is rich, much richer than the surface peat in nitrogen and in calcium. Moreover, the drainage is still in sufficient order after the last peat mining machines. As such, these old peat industry areas are suitable for energy production at a new level: using energy willows for energy farming. Fast growing energy willows have been studied in Finland since 1973. The energy yields have been promising, from 200 GJ to 400 GJ per hectare in a year (10—20 tn/ha dry matter). The main lines of the energy willow husbandry have been established. The most important part in it is fertilization. The fertilization of energy willow growing on old bottom peats is based on the use of ash and booster nitrogen. The yearly removal in a moderate (12 tn/ha dry matter) yield is 500—600 kg/ha ash and about 150 kg/ha nitrogen. The ash is circulated again and again between the energy plantation and the burning plant (for instance district heating unit). One part of the nitrogen is released from the peat resources through mobilization. The other part of nitrogen is given as booster for the early summer growth when the mobilization rate is low. When regarding the nutrient utilization efficiency, the yearly fertilizer need for the old peat industry area is estimated to be 100—150 kg/ha nitrogen and 1000—2000 kg/ha willow ash.

• Pohjonen, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo

Four ombrotrophic Sphagnum fuscum peat profiles (0—50 cm) were analyzed for total sulphur. The study sites include two bogs from southern Finland (Munasuo and Suurisuo, 60—61 °N) plus two bogs from northern Finland (Jänkävuopaja and Ah-venjärvenvuoma, 67°N). Sulphur was determined gravimetrically with BaSO4- method (Horwitz 1965). Sulphur concentrations and their vertical distributions are indicated in Figs. 2—3. In the top layer (0—20 cm) the S content is low, between 0.5 and 1.0 mg/g dry weight. In the southern Finnish sites, higher values were found near the transition from aerobic to anaerobic conditions: in Munasuo at ca. 30 cm level and in Suurisuo at 45—50 cm level (Fig. 2). In northern Finnish sites, especially in Ahvenjärvenvuoma, the S concentrations of Sphagnum peat seem to be related to the dry volume weight (degree of humification) (Fig. 3), but further material will be needed to establish the commonness of "enrichment layer" of sulphur in these peats. The sulphur amounts per square meter for 0—20 cm and 20—50 cm layers are indicated in Table 1. In the 0—20 cm layer, which was in all sites weakly humified, it was possible to apply the moss dating method (Pakarinen & Tolonen 1977). Using the ages obtained for the top 20 cm layer (23 to 68 years), the annual accumulation rates of sulphur were found to range from 59 to 163 mg/m2 (Table 1). The estimated atmospheric sulphur deposition rates in the corresponding areas varied from 280 to 650 mg/m2 (according to data of Buch 1960, Haapala 1977, Järvi-nen 1978). Thus the retention % of S was estimated at 19 to 25 for the surface peat layer (0—20 cm), and it was concluded that the main part of the atmospheric S deposition is leached to deeper peat layers or more probably outside the mire ecosystem.

• Pakarinen, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo
• Tolonen, Sähköposti: ei.tietoa@nn.oo