Sandy and calcareous soils in Egypt are promising for increasing cultivated area to suffice the growing food demand; however, their physical properties adverse plant growth. Hence, the current work was carried out to evaluate the effect of biogas slurry (BGS) application rates of 0, 30, 60 and 90 g kg-1 on physical properties in sandy and calcareous soils. Soils were incubated for six months under laboratory conditions keeping the moisture content around 70% of holding capacity. The BGS applications resulted in significant increases (P < 0.05) in organic matter content, total soil porosity, air-filled porosity and water holding capacities while decreased bulk density and void ratio in both soils compared to the control (untreated soils). Soil hydraulic conductivity significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in sandy soil but increased in calcareous soil, with the highest application rate of 90 g kg-1 being the most effective treatment. Generally, the BGS proved success in ameliorating soil physical properties. |
