Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Soils in Newly-Reclaimed Areas of Western El-Minya, EGYPT

The aim of this study is to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of soils in newly reclaimed areas west of El-Minya. Soil physical and chemical properties are critical for understanding soil health, fertility and its suitability for agriculture or other uses. Soil samples were collected aseptically in sterile poly-bags from fifty (50) profile locations and were analysed for physical and chemical properties. ArcGIS was applied in the geospatial mapping of the studied area. Surface interpolation of soil properties was done using ordinary kriging under the geostatistical analyst-extension in ArcGIS desktop (ver. 10.5). Soil physical and chemical analyses illustrated that the investigated soils were extremely drained, from shallow-deep in depth, strongly to very strongly alkaline (pH 8.08–9.82), and non-saline to moderately saline (EC 0.13–12.38 dS.m-1). Furthermore, the soils were low in organic matter content (0.9–6.3g kg⁻¹), cation exchange capacity (CEC) that ranged from 10.00–57.65 cmolkg-1 and a high range of calcium carbonates (44–426.2 g kg⁻¹). Results also revealed that soils were low in available nutrients: nitrogen (10.05–27.96 mg kg-1), phosphorus (0.06–4.13 mg kg-1), whereas potassium was from low to high (126.03–699.16 mg kg-1). The potential and major constraints for plant growth in the studied area include: (i) bioclimatic factors (rainfall, coldness or warmness), (ii) soil factors (depth, texture, stoniness and salinity) and (iii) other physical indices (soil structure, surface cover, infiltration depth and root depth). In essence, investigated soils could be improved through the adequate management practices including provision of adequate drainage system, application of organic manures, mulching to reduce evaporation and improve water storage, maintenance of cover crop, strip cropping and crop rotation, subsoiling to break the cemented gypsic subsoil for better root penetration, and utilization of mineral fertilizers, especially nitrogen and phosphorus for cereal crops. This is to support policy making framework for stakeholders, decision-makers, and resource managers in future planning of the studied area.