Exchangeable Sodium Percentage decrease in saline sodic soil after Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag application in a lysimeter trial

The Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag results from the conversion of hot metal into steel. Some properties of this slag, such as the high pH or calcium and magnesium content, makes it suitable for agricultural use as a soil amendment. Slag application to agricultural soils is allowed in some European countries, but to date there is no common regulation in the European Union. In Italy soils in coastal areas are often affected by excess sodium, which has several detrimental effects on the soil structure and crop production. In this study, carried out within an European project, the ability of the Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag to decrease the soil Exchangeable Sodium Percentage of a sodic soil was evaluated. A three-year lysimeter trial with wheat and tomato crops was carried out to assess the effects of two slag doses (D1, 3.5 g kg^-1year^-1 and D, 2, 7 g kg^-1year^-1) on exchangeable cations in comparison with unamended soil. In addition, the accumulation in the topsoil of vanadium and chromium, the two main trace metals present in the Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag, was assessed. After two years, the soil Exchangeable Sodium Percentage was reduced by 40% in D1 and 45% in D2 compared to the control. A concomitant increase in exchangeable bivalent cations (Ca⁺⁺ and Mg⁺⁺) was observed. We concluded that bivalent cations supplied with the slag competed with sodium for the sorption sites in the soil. The slag treatments also had a positive effect on tomato yields, which were higher than the control. Conversely the wheat yield was lower in the slag-amended soil, possibly because of the toxicity of vanadium added with the slag. This study showed that Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag decreased the Exchangeable Sodium Percentage, but precautions are needed to avoid the build up of toxic concentrations of trace metals in the soil, especially vanadium.