Mapping spatial management zones of salt-affected soils in arid region: A case study in the east of the nile delta, Egypt

Soil salinization is a global problem that affects a large part of the world, especially arid and semi-arid regions. Hence, diagnosing soil salinity is the first step towards appropriate management. The current work aims to assess and map soil salinity in the eastern Nile Delta using principal component analysis (PCA). In order to develop appropriate solutions for rational management to mitigate the impacts of soil salinization and increase yield production 34 soil profiles were dug that covered the variation in the soils located at the northeast of the Nile delta. The spatial variation of soil parameters was mapped using ordinary kriging interpolation. The results of PCA illustrated that, among the studied soil properties, soil electrical conductivity (ECe), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), exchangeable sodium percent (ESP), and bulk density (BD), are the critical factors affecting management practices in the Nile Delta. Two spatial management zones (SMZ) were identified; SMZ 1 occupied 45.04% of the study area and SMZ2 occupied 54.96% of the study area. The average of soil pH, ECe, SAR, CEC, ESP and BD were 8.31, 20.32 dSm−1, 47.19, 32.9 cmolckg−1, 32.85% and 1.47 Mgm−3 for the first cluster (SMZ1), respectively. In addition, the second cluster (SMZ2) had average soil pH, ECe, SAR, CEC, ESP and BD of 7.75, 12.30 dSm−1, 26.6, 25.23 cmolckg−1, 26.6% and 1.27 Mgm−3 . The results showed p-value < 0.05 which confirms that there is a significant statistical difference between the two zones. Finally, the results obtained could be used as a fundamental basis for improving agricultural management practices in such salt-affected soils. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Authors
Abdelaal S.M.S.1 , Moussa K.F.1 , Ibrahim A.H.1 , Mohamed E.S. 2, 3 , Kucher D.E. 3 , Savin I. 3, 4 , Abdel-Fattah M.K.1
Journal
Publisher
MDPI AG
Number of issue
12
Language
English
Status
Published
Number
2510
Volume
11
Year
2021
Organizations
  • 1 Soil Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt
  • 2 National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, Cairo, 11843, Egypt
  • 3 Department of Environmental Management, Institute of Environmental Engineering, People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation
  • 4 Department of Soil Geography, V.V. Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Moscow, 117019, Russian Federation
Keywords
PCA; Salt-affected soils; Site-specific management zones; Spatial management
Date of creation
06.07.2022
Date of change
06.07.2022
Short link
https://repository.rudn.ru/en/records/article/record/84482/
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