Wheat is a strategic crop in Egypt. Its local consumption is increasing continuously accordingly; Egypt has become the
largest wheat importer worldwide. The sustainable approach for increasing wheat productivity is probably through organic
additives. For this reason, animal, chicken and plant residues were collected from an experimental farm for preparation of (1)
plant residue compost (PRC) via composting a mixture of air-dried and chopped rice and soybean straw at a rate of 1:1 and
(2) animal residue compost (ARC) via composting a mixture of chicken and cattle manure at a rate of 1:1. The main aim of
this study is to compare between the implications of amending a clayey soil with animal versus plant residues for improving
soil physical and chemical characteristics. Also, this study considers the changes in soil fertility owing to these additives,
hence their outcomes on wheat growth and productivity. To achieve this goal, a field investigation was conducted following a
split-split design in which the two types of composts were plotted in main plots while the rates of compost application (15 and
25 Mg per hectare) were plotted in subplots. Non-amended control plots were also included for data comparison. All plots
were cultivated with wheat seeds in winter 2018 and received the recommended doses of NPK fertilizers to compare between
the two types of composts as conditioners not as fertilizers. The experiment lasted for 160 days until maturity. All composts
improved considerably soil physical (soil bulk density, total porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity and penetration
resistance) and chemical (soil organic matter and CEC) characterises, especially with increasing their rate of application. In
this concern, the results of the two types of composts were comparable. Also, these additives boosted grain and straw yields,
yield components (spike length, spike weight, number of spikelets/ spike, 100-grain weight). Moreover, theyenriched soils
with N, P, K, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu in available forms; hence raised their contents within wheat shoots and grains, with
superiority for ARC versus PRC. There were significant positive correlations between shoot and grain yields in relation to the
nutritional status of these plant parts. Accordingly, organic additives, especially animal residues, should be included in the
coming sustainable approaches for increasing wheat production. |
