Impact of Steel Plant Waste Slag on the Growth and Development of Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek and study of Soil Microbial Population and Soil Enzymes

IJEP 46(5): 467-472 : Vol. 46 Issue. 5 (May 2026)

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Subhasmita Panigrahi1, Arundhati Biswakalyani Sethi1*, Sanatan Padhan2 and Manoja Das1

1. Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology University, School of Sciences, Gunupur – 765 022, Odisha, India
2. Municipal college Rourkela, Department Botany, Rourkela – 769 012, Odisha, India

Abstract

The steel industry produces large volumes of solid waste. If recovered at low-cost, many valuable materials in these wastes can be reused. This study examined the use of steel plant slag as a soil supplement for the growth of Vigna radiata (L.) under laboratory conditions. Steel plant waste slag was collected from the Rourkela steel plant and its effects on the growth and development of Vigna radiata, a well-known legume worldwide, were examined. Vigna radiata plants were cultivated in soil mixed with steel plant slag at concentrations of 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 50%. Plant morphological characteristics, including plant height, root length, leaf length and leaf area, were analyzed. A 20% slag-soil mixture produced the best plant growth. Microbial populations in the soil, such as bacteria, Actinomycetes and fungi, were higher in the mixed soil upto 20% and then declined. A similar pattern was observed for soil enzymes, including chitinase, cellulase, amylase, phosphatase and dehydrogenase activity. This investigation suggested that soil mixed with a lower concentration of steel industry slag (upto 20%) is beneficial for the growth and development of legume plants, such as Vigna radiata.

Keywords

Steel slag, Soil microbes, Soil enzymes, Vigna radiata (moong plant), Crop production

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