Khafagy, H. A. and A. M. Salama( 2018). Improvement of Wheat Root Zone and Productivity in Heavy Clay Salt
Affected Soil
J.Soil Sci. and Agric. Eng., Mansoura Univ., Vol. 9 (11): 567–573, 2018
Abstract: A field experiment was conducted at North Nile Delta (Kafer El-Shiek Governorate, Egypt), during the two winter seasons (2015/2016 and 2016/2017). In order to evaluate, the effect of open drains spacing (10-m, 15-m, 20-m) and irrigation intervals (15 and 20-days intervals irrigation) under gypsum application (3tonfed.-1) on some soil properties, wheat productivity and affected of irrigated water (PIW). The results showed that: Soil salinity was reduced from10.03 to 7.32 dSm-1 and soil sodicity from 17.31 to 14.31, after two seasons from treatments application. Narrow drain spacing is superior at wider spacing in reducing soil salinity and sodicity. The average values were 6.59, 7.20 and 8.18 dSm-1 of salinity and 13.99, 14.25 and 14.68 of sodicity for 10-m, 15-m and 20-m spacing, respectively. Narrow irrigation intervals (15-days) decreased about 1.38dSm-1 of soil salinity and 0.76 of soil sodicity than wider irrigation intervals (20-days). Treatments application especially narrow spacing and narrow irrigation intervals with gypsum tend to increase Ca++/TSS and decreased Na+/TSS ratios. Treatments application especially narrow spacing and lower irrigation intervals seemed to be more effective in enhancing soil bulk density, total soil porosity, basic infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration. Application of treatments caused significant increases in wheat yields. The increases of wheat grains yield were 20.14 and 9.59% in the first season and 17.50 and 9.74% in the second season for 10-m and 15-m open drain spacing, respectively than 20-m drain spacing. The corresponding values of wheat straw yields were 11.44 and 6.16% in the first season and 10.70 and 6.16% in the second season, respectively. 15-days irrigation intervals caused higher wheat grain yields than 20- days irrigation intervals by 9.67 and 10.23 % in the first and second season, respectively. The corresponding values of wheat straw yield were 9.07 and 9.60 %, respectively. The interaction between narrow drainge spacing combined with low irrigation intervals tend to increasing wheat yields. PIW was superior to with narrow spacing and narrow irrigation interval, and the highest values were achieved under10-m drainge spacing with 15-days irrigation interval, while the lowest values were under 20-m drainge spacing with 20-days irrigation interval. Finally, narrow drainge spacing with reduce of irrigation intervals under gypsum application tend to improve physio-chemical characteristics of heavy clay salt affected soils, increase production and PIW for wheat crop.
Keywords: (Clay soil, Drainge, Irrigation, Productivity, Wheat crop.)
