Potential of Industrial Byproducts in Ameliorating Acidity and Aluminum Toxicity of Soils Under Tea Plantation

It is imperative to choose some low cost, available and effective ameliorants to correct soil acidity in southern China for sustainable agriculture. The present investigation dealt with the possible role of industrial byproducts, i.e., coal fly ash (CFA), alkaline slag (AS), red mud (RM) and phosphogypsum (PG) in correcting acidity and aluminum (Al) toxicity of soils under tea plantation using an indoor incubation experiment. Results indicated that CFA, AS and RM increased soil pH, while PG decreased the pHs of an Ultisol and an Alfisol. The increment of soil pH followed the order of RM > AS > CFA. All the industrial byproducts invariably decreased exchangeable Al and hence increased exchangeable Ca, Mg, K and Na and effective cation exchange capacity. RM, AS and lime decreased total soluble Al, exchangeable Al and organically bound Al. Formation and retention of hydroxyl-Al polymers were the principal mechanism through which Al phytotoxicity was alleviated by application of these amendments. In addition, the heavy metal contents in the four industrial byproducts constituted a limited environmental hazard in a short time at the rates normally used in agriculture. Therefore, the short-term use of the byproducts, especially AS and RM, as amendments for soil acidity and Al toxicity in acid soils may be a potential alternative to the traditional use of mined gypsum and lime.