Effect of soil amendments on physical properties of heavy clay soil in northern Nile Delta [electronic resource].

Includes references.

A field trial was conducted at Gamalia district, Dakahlia Governorate (Egypt) during year 2001 to investigate the effect of soil amendments (gypsum "0", farmyard manure "FYM", and sand "S"), on physical properties of heavy textured soil. The treatments were; control, SIO, S20, O2.5, Os, FYMIO, FYM20, SIO+02S, SIO+FYMIO and FYM 10 + 025 ton/fed. Two crops used in the experiment were cowpea (Vigna sinensis savi) and potato (So/anum tuberasum L.). The results indicated that the addition of sand increased coarse sand and tine sand but silt and clay percentage did not clearly changed. Addition of FYM slightly affected coarse and tine sand while clay contents were slightly increased. Oypsum addition did not affect soil texture. Sand, FYM and gypsum decreased bulk density in all treatments, but real density was increased in all treatments by using sand. Porosity was also increased by all soil amendments. The results indicated that FYM alone or coupled with gypsum increased hydraulic conductivity (H.C). The highest increase under potato was achieved for FYM mixed with gypsum, but the highest increase under cowpea with sand at 20 ton/fed. Soil amendments using affected soil penetration resistance in all studied treatments. The best result was found with gypsum added at 2.5 t/fed under cowpea and potato crop. It was recommended to use soil amendments especially FYM 20 t/fed, gypsum at 5 t/fed and FYM 10 t t/fed mixed with gypsum at 2.5 t/fed for improving the physical properties of the heavy clay soil.

Summary in Arabic.

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