Availability of some minorelements in a calcareous soil treated with composted saw-dust and different nitrogen sources [electronic resource].

Includes references.

A field experiment was conducted in Noubaria normal calcareous soil to study the availability of some minor elements as affected by composted saw-dust application with a level of 2 or 4 ton/fed and different N sources namely, diluted nitric acid solution, mixed nitric acid and calcium nitrate 1:1, calcium nitrate and urea with a level of 30 kg N/fed. The used crops were squash through three plucking of fruits and table beet. Results indicated that fresh and dry matter yields significantly responded to the low level of saw-dust compost and nitrogen fertilization regardless their source in spite of superiority of the acidic form to urea in total fruit and beet root dry matter which followed generally the same trend of fresh yields. Saw-dust compost resulted in increasing the uptake of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu by squash fruits and table beet shoots and roots. The effect of the higher application level started to appear in beet. Nitrogen application was also essential in increasing these nutrients uptake. Soil pH values decreased clearly by compost application and acidic forms of nitrogen particularly at the end of the experiment. Soil available forms of Fe and Zn were raised by compost application to be in the middle range while Mn and Cu were still at the higher limits after the additions. Release of these nutrients by compost decomposition and plant consumption led to decreases after squash and increases after table beet seasons. Nitrogen application resulted in increases in the soil available form of these nutrients. Urea and the neutral form of nitrate treatments produced more available forms after squash but acidic nitrate form treatments resulted in higher available forms of Fe and Mn after table beet season.

Summary in Arabic.

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