Soil Fertility Evaluation and Fertilizer Requirements of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium for Wheat Production (Sharq El-Owainat – Western South Egypt)

Abstract

ElWadi Elgadeed is one of the promising areas for national agricultural projects in Egypt. Soil fertility index and precision farming seek to maximize yield and reduce environmental damage. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the soil fertility of NPK. 25 soil samples (depth 0-50 cm) were collected. The results showed that most of the soil samples were nitrogen moderate fertile (Mf) and high fertile (Hf) with a percentage of (44%). Dissimilar, 64% of soil samples were low soil phosphorus fertility class, which has low wheat potential production (< 500 Kg ha -1 ). GIS-map of N-soil fertility classes (FN) classified the soil samples into four groups. Relating to the GIS–map of P– soil fertility marked the absence of the very high fertile class, the minority of the high fertile class (92.00 ha, 0.09%), and the dominance of the low fertile class (7352.00 ha, 72.94 %). The potassium very high fertile class occupied the whole of the studied area (10080 ha, 100 %). GIS Maps illustrated that most of the studied area had no need for N application for low wheat production (< 500 Kg ha -1 ), and 5 kg ha -1 N applied to (55. 05%) of the area to moderate wheat production (500–750 Kg ha -1 ). Attaining high wheat production (750 -1000 Kg ha -1 ) classified the studied area into nine levels of N requirements. We assigned different eight P application levels to have high wheat production. Finally, the research referred to that there is no need for K fertilizer, even for high wheat production.