Environmental Management of Salt Affected Soils and its Effect on Yield and Quality of Summer Forage Grasses in North Sinai

TWO FIELD experiments were conducted in Galbana village .at Sahl El-Tina site., North Sinai Governorate during two summer seasons (2013 and 2014), to evaluate the effect of some soil amendments and simulating plant growth on soil properties, forage productivity and quality by management salinity of soil and plant resistant to salt. Two forage grasses, Pearl millet (Shandaweel-1) and local Sudan grass, were used and designed in complete randomized blocks (RCBD) with three replications.
Results demonstrated that the soil salinity (EC) was decreased after leaching from 17.78 to 13.42 d Sm-1 . Soil EC values of Sudan grass and Pearl millet resulted in low decreasing with control, potassium silicate and nano particles of (CaCO3) treatments in the first and the second seasons. Available macro and micronutrients (mg kg-1) were increased in soil and plant tissues by adding the soil amendments and stimulating plant growth, whereas potassium silicate and nanoparticles of CaCO3 treatments gave the lowest values.
Both Sudan grass and pearl millet reported significant differences (P≤ 0.05) among yield and its components for the first, second cuts and total yield in the first and second growing seasons. In the first season, Sudan grass increased in total dry yield percentages more than the fresh yield of compost treatment. Potassium silicate, sulphur, and nano-particles of CaCO3 recorded higher total fresh and dry yield in the second season. For the first season nano particles of CaCO3, potassium silicate and composite of compost, gypsum and sulphur increased the total fresh and dry yield of Pearl millet, also in the second season nanoparticles of CaCO3 treatment reported the higher total fresh and dry yield. Adding of soil amendments and simulating plant growth treatments increased the efficiency of soil and plant potential to moderate salt stress and increase yield and quality per unit area.