Pedosphere 16(4): 519--524, 2006
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2006 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
Steel slag as an iron fertilizer for corn growth and soil improvement in a pot experiment
WANG Xian1,2 and CAI Qing-Sheng1
1 College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095 (China). E-mail: wxy7674@yahoo.com
2 Department of Biology, Zhoukou Normal College, Zhoukou 466000 (China)
ABSTRACT
      The feasibility of steel slag used as an iron fertilizer was studied in a pot experiment with corn. Slag alone or acidified slag was added to two Fe-deficient calcareous soils at different rates. Results showed that moderate rates (10 and 20 g kg-1) of slag or acidified slag substantially increased corn dry matter yield and Fe uptake. Application of steel slag increased the residual concentration of ammonium bicarbonate-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (AB-DTPA) extractable Fe in the soils. The increase of extractable Fe was usually proportional to the application rate, and enhanced by the acidification of slag. Steel slag appeared to be a promising and inexpensive source of Fe to alleviate crop Fe chlorosis in Fe-deficient calcareous soils.
Key Words:  corn growth, iron fertilizer, pot experiment, soil improvement, steel slag
Citation: Wang, X. and Cai, Q. S. 2006. Steel slag as an iron fertilizer for corn growth and soil improvement in a pot experiment. Pedosphere. 16(4): 519-524.
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