Variability in Some Soil Physical and Chemical Properties of Shambat Farm, Khartoum- Sudan
Albashir A. S. Ali *
Hohai University, College Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Nanjing 210098, China and Department of Soil Science, Agricultural Research Corporation, Khartoum, Sudan
Xing Wen-Gang
Hohai University, College Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Nanjing 210098, China and Key Laboratory of Efficient Irrigation-Drainage and Agricultural Soil-Water Environment in Southern China Ministry of Education, Hohai University, China
Moamer A. A. Mohammed
Department of Soil Science, College of Agricultural Studies, SUST, Sudan
Bashir H. Osman
Hohai University, College Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Nanjing 210098, China and Sinnar University, Faculty of Engineering, Sinnar, Sudan
Mohammed M. A. Elbashier
Hohai University, College Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Nanjing 210098, China and Department of Soil Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Khartoum State, Sudan
Alnail Mohmmed
Hohai University, College Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Nanjing 210098, China and Hohai University, College of Hydrology and Water Resources, China
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
An experiment was conducted on the farm of the Faculty of Agricultural Studies, Sudan University of Science and Technology, this soil belongs to the Central Clay Plain of the Sudan which has been formed by alluvial deposit of the Nile, primarily of basaltic origin, and it consider largely as Vertisols. The objective of this study is to evaluate the variability in some physical and Chemical properties of soil under investigation in order to identify their spatial distribution to assist in designing land management and support agricultural production. For these purposes, some physical and Chemical properties at five sites across the farm have been investigated. The results indicated that the soils are variably affected by saline and sodic conditions. Non-saline, slightly saline, moderately saline sub soil and non-sodic to moderately sodic soils are found on the farm. Soil texture is clayey throughout, and hydraulic conductivity is very slow to slow .The whole of soil profile is compacted except at the surface layer, the average of soil bulk density is very high when the soil is dry. The soils under investigation are characterized by high water retention but rather narrow range of available moisture as noticed from the difference between the moisture retained between field capacity and wilting point.
Keywords: Cation exchange capacity, sodium adsorption ratio, exchangeable sodium percentage