A field experiment was carried out during two successive growing
seasons of 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 on a sandy soil at South Tahrir
Province, Agricultural Research Station, Agricultural Research Center, Ali
Mubarak Village, El-Bostan Region, El-Behiera Governorate, Egypt under a
cropping-sequence of sesame-wheat to evaluate the management proper of
supplying N-organic manures, i.e., composted rice straw and chicken manure
wastes, besides N-mineral fertilizer, with special reference to the associated
amelioration in soil physio-chemical, fertility status and productivity of the
grown plants. The experiment was setup in a randomized complete block
design with three replicates. Ten treatments were examined, i.e., control,
100% of N-organic released from either chicken or composted rice straw,
100% of the recommended of N-mineral dose as ammonium sulphate as well
as mixture ratios of N-organic : N-mineral of 3:1, 1:1 and 1:3. The
application of N-rates of all fertilized plots were kept at 45 kg N/fed for
sesame crop at summer season and 100 kg N/fed for wheat at winter one.
The obtained results showed that application of either composted rice
straw or chicken manure as solely or combined with N-mineral fertilizer
significantly improved the physical properties of the studied sandy soil, i.e.
bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, infiltration rate, penetration soil
resistance and soil moisture constants (field capacity, welting point and
available water content). Also, incorporation of both N-mineral and Norganic sources caused substantial increases in soil available N, P, K, Fe, Mn,
Zn and Cu. Organic matter content in soil was also increased gradually with
increasing the portion of applied N-organic sources in a mixture.
Grain and straw yields of sesame and wheat were progressively
increased with raising the applied N-organic portion in the N-mixture
sources. Also, N, P and K uptake by both grain and straw followed a trend
almost similar to that crop yields. Seed oil content and oil yield of sesame
were positively affected by the solely or combined treatments of N-organic
and N-mineral. Moreover, a pronounced increase in crude protein content of
wheat grain was followed a trend similar as mentioned before. These results
are emphasized the importance of partial replacement of N-mineral fertilizers
by the use of organic ones. However, applied chicken manure was recorded a
better effect as composted to the other treatments for ameliorating soil
physico-chemical properties and fertility status as well as its productivity for
the grown crops under the prevailing experimental conditions.