Nutritional status of soil and plant and nutrient discrimination factor of some irrigated olive orchards at the North West of Egypt

Abstract

A study was conducted during 2014 to 2015 seasons on olive orchards; cultivars (Koroneki, Dolce and Manzanillo) grown on sandy soil under drip irrigation and irrigated with different levels of water salinity from 0.95 to 4.3dS/m-1 , in various locations in Cairo-Alexandria road, to evaluate the nutritional status through soil testing and leaf analysis. The soils had very high pH and low organic matter, potassium, iron and manganese, different levels of EC, CaCO 3 , P, Na concentrations ranged between low and high, and different levels of Ca, Mg, Zn and Cu ranged between low and medium. Significant negative correlation was found between pH and Zn in soil. In olive leaves, the levels of N, P, Na, Fe and Cu concentrations ranged between low and high, K and Ca concentrations were between low and sufficient; Mg, Mn and Zn concentrations were sufficient. A highly significant positive correlation between leaf Mg concentrations and yield was found. Olive trees showed that minerals of needle ranked from greatest to least as K > Ca > Mg indicating that olive trees have more ability (preferability) to take up K in higher quantities than Ca and Mg. Olive varieties differ also in ability (preferability) to take up micronutrients.