Feasibility of Sub-Soiling, Mole Drain and Suger Beet Compost Applications to Improve Soil Properties and Production of Sorghum and Barley at Nubaria Area

Abstract

The current work was conducted in two successive seasons (summer season-2015and winter season-2015/2016) where sorghum and barley ware planted in summer and winter season at the farm of Nubaria Agriculture Research Station (Calcareous soil), Behera Governorate to study improving some soil properties by leaching process and application of compost under mole drain and sub-soiling. At summer season where starting leaching process and cultivating sorghum plant, the obtained results revealed that the reduction in soil salinity through the leaching period (four irrigation gifts each of them was 400 m3/fed. ,the interval between them was 15 days) at the sub-soiling area were 38.88% and 35.24% for 0-30, 30-60 cm soil depths, respectively. While, at mole drain treatment area, they were 41.84% and 41.76% for the same depths. The reductions in soil salinity through sorghum cultivation periods for the same depths at sub-soiling treatment area were 35.34% and 42.43% for 0-30, 30-60 cm depths, respectively and they were 27.32% and 25.59% for the same depths at the mole drain treatment.The total amounts of salts leached from top 60 cm of sub-soiling and mole drain treatments through leached periods were 3532.1 and 4025.8 kg/fed., respectively. While they were 2340.2 and 1483.1 kg/fed. during sorghum cultivation season for the two treatments, respectively. The results indicated also that, sub-soiling and mole drain treatments under open surface drainage lowered the water table level, but sub-soiling seemed to be more effective on lowering the water table level in soil. Sorghum green yields at area treated by sub-soiling varied from 9.76 to 12.83 ton/fed. with an average of 10.97 ton/fed., while they varied from 8.46 to 10.14 with an average 9.25 ton /fed. at other area, (treated by mole drain).At winter season where the effect of applying sugar beet compost on soil properties and barley (C.V. Giza 123) yield was studied, the obtained results indicated that ECe increased from 4.3 to 4.6 dSm-1 ,this increase was 6.5% for both areas in the surface layer (0-30) cm, while at the (30-60) cm depth the data showed that there were little differences in ECe under treated soils. The mean values of total porosity at the sub-soiling area increased from 4.8 to 5.07% for (0-30) and (30-60) cm depth , respectively, while at mole drain treatment the increase was 5.1 and 3.19% for the same above-mentioned depths, respectively. On the other hand, the mean values of bulk density (Pb) showed little decrease 1.57 and 0.78 % at (0-30) and (30-60) cm soil depth, respectively for both treated areas with application 3.0 Ton/fed. compost at both areas under study.The mean values of saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) at the area treated by sub-soiling increased as a result of application compost from 1.39 to1.53 cm/h (9.15% increase) and from 1.33 to 1.5 cm/h (11.33% increase) at (0-30) and (30-60) cm depths, respectively. On the other hand, they increased from 1.38 to 1.44 cm/h (4.17%) and 1.33 to 1.46 cm/h (8.9%) at mole drain treatment. The mean values of the relative increase in barely grain yield which obtained at rate 3 ton/fed. for sub-soiling and mole treatments, the increasing percentages were about 12.66% and15.69 %, respectively. On the other hand, the mean values of the relative increase in straw yield were 10.53 % and 17.85 % for both treatments, respectively.