Determination of Magnesium Salinity in Belozem Region, Bulgaria

Salinisation is an important soil-forming process (primary or secondary), characterized by an excess of water-soluble salts and/or exchangeable sodium. The amount of exchangeable magnesium is also essential for the more detailed determination of the physico-chemical properties of saline soils. The determination of magnesium salinity is still a debatable issue, but there are already criteria in the literature for its estimation. The Belozem region is representative of Bulgaria for the processes of alkaline salinisation, but the presence and extent of magnesium salinity has not been determined. For this purpose, data from ten soil profiles and four criteria for determining magnesium salinity were used. In three of the profiles there is an increased content of exchangeable magnesium, which covers all four indicators of magnesium salinity, in three of the profiles the magnesium salinity is determined only in some horizons and in the other four cannot be clearly defined. The study also showed that the application of all four criteria is necessary in order to make a strong claim for the presence of magnesium salinity.