IMPROVING SOME PROPERTIES OF HEAVY CLAY SALT AFFECTED SOIL AS A RESULT OF DIFFERENT SUBSURFACE TILLAGE. | ||||
| Journal of Soil Sciences and Agricultural Engineering | ||||
| Article 7, Volume 33, Issue 10, October 2008, Page 7675-7687 PDF (599.98 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/jssae.2008.200385 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
| S. A. Antar1; A. S. El-Henawy2; A. A. E. Atwa1 | ||||
| 1Soils, Water and Environment Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Center, Egypt. | ||||
| 2Soils dept., Fac. of Agric., Kafrelsheikh Univ., Egypt. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| A field experiment was conducted at North Nile Delta, Egypt (Islah-Perempal Region, Motobus District, Kafer El-Shiek Governorate), to evaluate the effect of subsoiling and mole drains with open drainage on improving some soil properties and yields of rice and sugar beet crops as well as raising the efficiency of the open drainage system. Results indicate that, subsurface tillage operations with open surface drainage lowered the water table level, after all growing seasons. The mean values of water table levels are 59.5, 59.5 and 62.3 cm with subsoiling, mole drain and subsoiling +mole, respectively while, it is 44.3 cm with the control (open drainage). Water table level is lower after sugar beet than after rice. Soil salinity and sodcity in the topsoil, were reduced after subsoiling and moling installation. The reductions of salinity, after three years from experiment installation were 86.71, 96.81 and 98.76% for subsoiling, moling and subsoiling +moling, respectively over the control. The corresponding values of ESP decreaces were 83.93, 83.20 and 119.40%, respectively. Ratio of Ca++/TSS in the topsoil (0-60cm) was increased in the treated soils. Subsoiling and/or moling seemed to be more effective on reducing soil bulk density especially in the surface layer (0-30cm). Subsoiling and/or moling treatments were superior in enhancing soil porosity. Basic infiltration rate (BIR) was increased with subsoiling and/or moling (from 0.9 to 1.66 cm/h) while, it was ranged from 0.39 to 0.59 cm/h with the control (open drainage). Data also cleared that, BIR after rice crop season was lower than that after sugar beet crop season. The saturation percent, field capacity and wilting point values are lower in the treated soils than untreated soils. Subsoiling and/or moling realized increases in quickly and slowly drainable pores (QDP and SDP) and higher decrease in fine capillary pores (FCP) than open drains. Mean values of QDP, SDP and FCP% in the soil depth of 0-60cm, are 8.71, 12.93 and 32.35%, respectively with open drainage. The corresponding values are 10.66, 16.57 and 23.80%, respectively with subsoiling and 11.56, 16.35 and 23.52%, respectively with moling and 12.52, 18.84 and 20.87%, respectively with subsoiling+moling. Rice and sugar beet yields are related to the salinity contents in soil. The yields increased when the EC decreased as affected by subsoiling and/or moling. Rice and sugar beet yields are higher under subsoiling and/or moling than with open drains in all growing seasons. Rice grain yield is higher under subsoiling tillage, moling and subsoiling +moling by 37.19, 38.43, and 34.30 %, respectively, than the control. The corresponding values of sugar beet yield are 5.31, 4.65 and 7.65 ton/fed., respectively. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Drainage; mole drains; Subsoiling; Clay soil; Rice; sugar beet | ||||
|
Statistics Article View: 77 PDF Download: 217 |
||||
