Soil Fertility Status of Some Agricultural Areas in El -Kharaga Oasis, New Valley, Egypt

Abstract

Macro elements availability in soils is an important aspect in context of soil fertility and agricultural productivity. This study was performed to determine the levels of some macro elements availability in El-kharga oasis soils, New Valley, Egypt. To achieve this goal, hundred surface soil samples (0-30 cm) were collected from El-Kharga and Barisoasis, New Valley, Egypt. The collected soil samples were subjected for chemical analyses. The obtained results showed that the dominant problems are salinity and low organic matter content, The summarized data showed that 35% of the samples have low available nitrogen and 65% have medium nitrogen which was associated with low organic matter (100% of the samples have less than 1% OM). However 91% of the samples have high available P(˃15mg/kg), where as 5% and 4% of the samples were categorized as low and medium available P. Also, 98% of the samples were high in available potassium and only 2% were medium. The high content of available P and K may be resulted from the parent material of El-kharga oasis. According to ECe, 49% of the samples have ECe less than 4dSm-1 , 51% of the samples were higher than 4dSm-1 , (21% medium, 16% high and 14% very high). Considering the soil pH and EC e , the results showed that 42% of the samples were non saline, 50% were saline, 6% were sodic soil and only 2%were saline sodic soils.

Heavy metals and micronutrients assessment in soil and groundwater using geospatial analyses under agricultural exploitation in dry areas

“…A shortage of irrigation water, excessive levels of salts in irrigation water and soil, poor agricultural drainage, and sand creeping are all obstacles to the Governorate's agricultural growth. In addition, illogical water and soil management, such as dependency on surface irrigation, haphazard well drilling, farmers' lack of expertise in dealing with soil degradation concerns, and ultimately, insufficient agricultural extension services, exacerbate the Governorate's agricultural situation (Gad et al 2016;Gameh et al 2018;Soliman 2020).…”

“…1) is filled with marine shale deposits and is covered in sheets of sand. Soil qualities changed dramatically after 10 years of cultivation (Gameh et al 2017(Gameh et al , 2018. The late Tertiary and early Quaternary geological periods, which were known for their humid climates, are thought to have produced the majority of the region's soils.…”