In order to contribute to the discussion about a sustainable
use of marginal land, two field experiments were established
in former lignite mining areas. One field experiment refers
to the establishment of an alley cropping system in NEGermany
(Lusatian lignite mining district) in 1996. At this
site overburden sediments consist of quaternary substrates.
In 2002, a second field trial was established in central Germany
(Helmstedt lignite mining district) representing dump
substrates derived from both quaternary and tertiary overburden
sediments. Tertiary substrates are mixed up with
lignite and contain pyrite (FeS2) in various amounts. Both
field experiments cover the main types of substrates typical
for post-mining landscapes of lignite mining, and, therefore,
are supposed to provide representative data on yield potentials
and the yield sustainability of different fast growing tree
species under most unfavourable edaphic and climatic conditions.