Soil Management and Improvement of Salt Affected Soils

Abstract

during summer season 2011 and winter season2011/ 2012 to evaluate the effect of some soil management practices i.e., mole drain filled back with sand at two diameter 7.5 cm and 10 cm under three distances 4, 6 and 8 m individually or combined with some soil amendments application;) gypsum, sand and aluminum sulfate( on improving some physical and chemical soil properties. Also, use of the continuous leaching processes for salt removal after each rotation of leachate 25, 75, 125 and 275 days. The soil samples were taken to determine EC, pH and ESP as well as at the end of experiment. Also, the hydraulic conductivity, bulk density and total porosity were determined. The results indicated that the construction of mole drain filled back with sand individually after four rotations of leachate processes led to significant decrease in the values of EC, pH and ESP compared with the initial values. These decreases were more effective with application of soil amendments i.e. (gypsum, sand and aluminum sulfate) combined with the mole drain compared with the empty mole drain . It was observed that at the end of the experiment after four rotations leachate processes, the mole drain at different spacing which filled back with sand combined with soil amendments application significantly decrease the values of bulk density and increase the values of hydraulic conductivity and total porosity compared with the initial values. The superiority in improving physical properties (hydraulic conductivity, bulk density and porosity of the studied soil was recorded with mole drain filled back with sand combined with the soil amendment as aluminum sulfate or gypsum compared with sand after fourth rotations of leachate.

Impact of Some Soil Management Practices on Some Physical Properties of Salt Affected Soils in El-Tina Plain Area

“…As regards the reclamation efficiency in terms of improving hydraulic conductivity, various amendments proved useful effect but their combinations with mole drain may be regarded the best (Farag et al, 2013). The magnitude of hydraulic conductivity increases expected in response to gypsum applications depends on soil properties including clay content, clay mineralogy and bulk density of the soil (Reading et al, 2012).…”

“…When the soil treated with amendment combined with the mole drain, the total porosity values were increased more positively (Farag et al, 2013). Said (2002) found that at the beginning of growth season, subsoiling had a marked positive effect on soil porosity of the subsurface compacted layers.…”

Effect of Aluminum Sulfate and Cover Crops on Some Chemical and Physical Properties of Degraded Soil

“…Applied alum to saline soils and leaching the dispersive soils (the saline-sodic clay soil) once, twice, and three times has been led to a decrease in EC and ESP [18 and 19]. The reclamation of the salinesodic and clay soil by alum has been contributed to a significant decrease in EC, pH, and ESP, and thus alum is conceded as most effective amendment, followed by gypsum [20]. A study was conducted by [14] to study the effect of adding alum (aluminium sulphate) and the effect of alum with zeolite and acidified zeolite on corn.…”