Mona K.M. Abdel-Razek, Nadia M. Hemeid and Habashy R. Nader( 2011). Beneficial Effect Of Some Organic Soil-Conditioning Agents For Improving Sandy Soil
Productivity Under Sprinkler Irrigation System
Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 5(12): 12-20, ISSN 1991-8178
Abstract: A field experiment was carried out on a newly reclaimed sandy textured soil under sprinkler irrigation system at Ismailia Agricultural Research Station located between Latitude 30° 35' 30" N, Longitude 32° 14' 50" E and Elevation 3 meters from the sea level, and cultivated with peanut plants (Arachis hypogaea, Giza 5) as a summer crop during the agricultural growing season of 2009. The current study aims to identify the direct beneficial effect of applying some organic soil conditioning agents (seaweed extract, calcium alginate [(C6 H7 Ca1/2 O6)n] and potassium humate) on some hydrophysical and fertility status of sandy soil (bulk density, total porosity, hydraulic conductivity, moisture constants and nutrients retained) at maximum vegetative growth stage (90 days after sowing) as well as vegetative growth, yield and its attributes of the studied crop, i.e., seedand Foliage yields harvest index, weight of 100 seed, seed oil%, protein% and uptake of N, P, K, Fe, Mn and Zn. The applied rates of organic soil conditioners individual or in combined treatments were solid K-humate (12% K2O) at a rate of 1.0 kg fed-1, 0.8 L fed-1 liquid seaweed extract (10% K2O) at and 2.5 kg fed-1 solid calcium alginate, which were thoroughly mixed with the 5 cm soil surface layer. The results obtained indicated that the applied organic soil amendments either individual or in combined treatments (K-humate+seaweed extract and K-humate + calcium alginate) showed significant and positive improvements in both soil characteristics and the grown peanut yield parameters under investigation, with a significant superiority for the combined treatments. In general, the beneficial effects of the applied organic materials on the studied different soil hydrophysical properties under peanut crop could be arranged in the following order: K-humate + seaweed extract > K-humate+calcium alginate > seaweed extract > calcium alginate > K-humate. While, the beneficial effects of the applied organic materials on soil fertility (available nutrient contents) and nutritional status of peanut seed and foliage could be arranged in the following order: K- humate+seaweed extract > K-humate+ calcium alginate > K-humate > seaweed extract > calcium alginate It is evident that the applied organic amendments, either as individual or in combined treatments, achieved many of the beneficial effects on soil hydro physical and fertility status as well as plant parameters, since K-humate acted like plant growth hormones. While, other organic amendments (seaweed extract and calcium alginate) partially capable to retain water and nutrients for growing plants due to containing alginic acid, which would act as complexing agent, thus minimizing the loss of nutrients by leaching. These chelating agents, through phenolic and carboxylic active groups for micronutrients and water molecules, are considered as a storehouse with easily or available to be taken by plant roots, and this reflected positively on development of yield and its attributes for studied peanuts crop cultivated under sprinkler irrigation system.
Keywords: (Organic soil conditioning, K-humate, seaweed extract, calcium alginate, sandy soil.)
