STUDIES ON SOIL AND WATER MANAGEMENT OF NEW RECLAIMED LAND

Abstract

This work aimed to find out the appropriate soil and water management that could be followed in new reclaimed land. Three field experiments were conducted to achieve the following purposes. 1- Find out the optimum method of tillage that can be used for seed bed preparation (tomato) in Maryut calcareous soil. Chisel plough, subsoiler (70 em deep) and mouldboard plough. 2- Research the possibility of applying 100% or 50% and 50% or 25% of the total phosphorus and potassium requirements respectively, during seed bed preparation of tomato in Maryut calcareous soil. 3- Investigate the effect of cattle manure and some desert shales on crop yield of winter potato under different water regime in Bustan sand soil. The obtained results can be summarized in the following points:

+ The use of chisel plough alone and/or mouldboard followed with chisel plough enhanced soil aggregation in the surface soil layer (0- 15 em). This effect was less pronounced when applying subsoiling followed with chiseling. This increase of total aggregates reveal that tillage practices lead to increasing total aggregates of the surface soil layer. In addition to the effect of rotovating cattle manure with the soil materials in the surface soil layer on the aggregation formation. • The highest value of nutrient content in leaves of tomato plants grown in Maryut calcareous soil were obtained by the treatment of applying 100% of phosphorus and 25% of potassium requirements in combination with 40 m3/Fad of cattle manure during seed bed preparation. The highest value of tomato fruit yield was also obtained under same phosphorus, potassium and cattle manure combination treatment.