Remediation of Agro-Sod-Podzolic Soil Contaminated with Nickel

The results of a multiple-year field experiment on the remediation of agro-sod-podzolic loamy soil (albeluvisoils) contaminated with nickel are analyzed. Various doses of ameliorants and fertilizers were studied as ameliorative additives: limestone and phosphorite powder, superphosphate, sodium sulfide, peat, and zeolite. Studies have shown that the introduction of all studied reclamation additives into contaminated soil significantly reduced the content of mobile forms of nickel in it. The highest efficiency during the entire observation period was shown by limestone powder at a dose of 12 t/ha; it reduced the degree of its mobility by 48–69%. Nickel pollution had a strong toxic effect on plants, which led to a sharp decrease in their productivity (by 76–87%) and increased the accumulation of nickel in the grain. The introduction of the studied ameliorants and fertilizers significantly improved these indicators, but they still did not reach the control (without pollution), which indicates the presence of a very serious problem of crop production on land contaminated with nickel.