CHEMICAL FEATURES OF SOME SOIL RESOURCES IN EL-TINA PLAIN OF NORTHWESTERN SINAI, EGYPT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Soils and Water Use Dept., Nat. Res. Cent., Dokki, Cairo, Egypt

2 Soil Sci. Dept., Fac. Agric., Zagazig Univ., Egypt

Abstract

El-Tina plain comprises an expansive landscape of soils that are collectively covered by the mega soil reclamation project of El-Salam/Sheikh Gaber Canal. The objective of this work is to prepare a database for some localities in the area, a prerequisite to allocative efficiency nexus for sustainable development in Egypt. A reconnaissance survey led to choosing 16 sites, each was completely described in the field and sampled for subsequent analysis. Field inspection revealed that the soils are barren with shallow watertable. Soil genesis indicates that they are derived from the defunct Pelusiac Branch of the Nile that used to run across northwestern Sinai. Particle size analysis revealed that some soils contain up to 80 % clay. Chemical analysis revealed that most soils are heavily infested with salinity and sodicity, aside from other constraints including salt crusts. Due to salinity perturbation, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) is not correlated with sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). The dominant soluble cation is Na+ at 1323.34 cmole l-1 followed in sequence by Mg2+ at 867.59 cmole l-1, Ca2+ at 386.44 cmole l-1, and K at 57.85 cmole l-1. The dominant soluble anion is Cl- at 1414.41 cmole l-1 followed by SO42- at 1193.90 cmole l-1, whereas the HCO3- is below one cmolel-1.The average EMgP stands at 48.85 compared with ESP at 31.75. This is confirmative evidence indicating seawater intrusion. Given these provisions, it is concluded that soil reclamation in the investigated localities for crop cultivation is dubious. An aquaculture production system may turn out to be a sagely alternative scenario. 

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