IMPROVEMENT OF CALCAREOUS SOIL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND ITS PRODUCTIVITY AS AFFECTED BY FARMING METHODS AND ORGANIC MANURES APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Organic manures are traditionally used for supplying plant nutrients. Their volume and other operational problems forced the farmers to use inorganic fertilizers. The recycling of organic waste is considered one of the major solutions to get rid of huge piles of wastes. The management of soil organic matter is critical to maintain a sustainable productive organic farming system. They possess many desirable soil properties and exert beneficial effect on the soil characteristics. In this regard, a field experiment was carried out on a calcareous sandy loam soil cultivated with bean (Nubaria 1) at El-Nubaria Agricultural Research Station, El- Behera Governorate during two successive winter seasons of 2012/2013 and 2013 / 2014 to investigate the effect of organic manures (rice straw compost and chicken manure) as organic amendments under farming methods (row and strew) on calcareous soilchemical properties and its productivity. Data indicated that, EC values (dSm-1) and pH values of the studied soil were decreased as a result of using rice straw compost and chicken manure under different cultivation methods. The OM content and cation exchange capacity of the soil after bean harvest were increased by the studied treatments. The high increase was attained by using rice straw compost with row farming method. Also, results showed that, the treatment with rice straw compost and row farming method resulted increase in the soil content of available N, P, K and Fe, Mn and Zn after harvest of bean. Also, there was a significant increase in N, P and K contents of bean grains with rice straw compost or chicken manure treatments compared with control. The same treatments caused an increase in the concentrations of Fe, Mn and Zn in grains. The bean plant grown under all the studied treatments gave higher yield than the control under calcareous soil conditions and the highest values of straw and grain yields were recorded by using rice straw compost with row cultivation method. As a general, it is concluded that the row cultivation method and the rice straw compost addition had beneficial effect at the different soil properties and crop yield of broad bean plants grown on calcareous soil compared with other treatments under study.