Soil and plant analysis as a guide for interpretation of the improvement efficiency of organic conditioners added to different soils in Egypt

Four local organic conditioners:biogas residues (precipitates), poultry manure, sewage sludge and composted town refuse were subjected to an experiment aimed at evaluation their efficiency for improvement the physical and chemical properties of four soils that known at El-Fayoum area as soils below the production levels. The tested soils were alluvial clay from the Faculty Farm at Dar El-Ramad, highly calcareous loamy sand from the Faculty Farm at Demo, calcareous sandy loam from Kom Osheem village and heavy clay from Kassr Rashwan village. With each of the tested soils, treatments comprised each of the above mentioned organic conditioners at increasingly levels depending on its carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio were performed. Then, the treatments were subjected to a pot experiment cropped with wheat plants under greenhouse conditions. With each treatment, determinations of the soil physical properties (saturation percentage, field capacity, bulk density, total porosity, and hydraulic conductivity) and the soil chemical properties [pH, EC, organic matter, total nitrogen (N) and available N, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)] were conducted before and after cultivation. At the cropping, dry matter and grain yield were weighted and some parameters of the plants were recorded. Concurrently, determinations of total N, P, and K were conducted in samples of root, vegetative growth, and grains at the cropping. The obtained results were statistically analyzed and graphically presented to indicate and recommend the optimum improvement effect within the used organic conditioners with each of the tested soils. The tested organic conditioners were evaluated for application under the local conditions.