Response of some field crops to proper tillage under salt affected soils in North Nile Delta [electronic resources].

Includes references.

A field trial was conducted at Al-Hamool region, Kefr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, during the two successive growing seasons 2009 and 2009/2010. The main goal of the present work is to study the effect of improving drainage conditions and chemical, physical properties of studied soil. Consequently, cultivation new crops in this area such as faba bean in winter season and new variety of hybrid rice as a summer crop. In the summer season, the soil was treated before transplanting of rice with the following treatments: 1. subsoiling, 2. subsoiling + application of 1.5 ton gypsum fed⁻¹, ,3. subsoiling + application of 1 ton gypsum fed⁻¹. + 50 kg calcium super phosphate, 4. subsoiling + 200 kg phosphogypsum fed (byproduct of acid production). In the winter season faba bean variety Sakha 2 was planted and the treatments were: 1. control, 2, 100 kg calcium superphosphate 15.5% + 1 ton gypsum fed⁻¹. + 100 kg phosphogypsum fed⁻¹ ., 3. 100 kg calcium superphosphate 15.5% + 1 ton gypsum fed⁻¹, 4. 200 kg phosphogypsum, 5. 100 kg caicium superphosphate 15.5% + 100 kg phosphogypsum, 6. 1.0 ton gypsum fed⁻¹, 7, 1 ton pypsum fed⁻¹ + 200 kg phosphogypsum, 8. 200 kg calcium superphosphate 15.5% fed⁻¹The main results of the present study can be summarized as follows: • Decreasing the mean values of exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) as a result of application of soil amendments. • Increasing the mean values of total porosity, hydraulic conductivity and lowering the level of water table depth from soil surface. • The losses of ammonium cation (NH₄⁺) was decreased while the loss of nitrate ion, was increased. • Decreasing salinity of groundwater after rice and faba bean cultivation. • The production of hybrid rice was high under the conditions of this soil. The highest mean value is 5.7 tons fed⁻¹ with the subsoiling combined with application of 200 kg phosphogypsum fed⁻¹. • The production of faba bean was increased as a result of decreasing salinity of this soil with cultivation a high tolerant variety (Sakha 2) to salinity and the highest mean value is 12.0 ton fed⁻¹ under application of 100 kg calcium superphosphate 15.5% + 1 ton gypsum fed⁻¹ + 100 kg phosphogypsum fed⁻¹. From the abovementioned results. it could be recommended to give more care to the conditions of drainage and good farming practices for these soils with addition of soil amendments such as gypsum, calcium superphosphate and phosphogypsum, and cultivating new crop varieties that is tolerant to salinity for obtaining high productivity.

Summary in Arabic.

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