Effect of adding volcanic ash and cow waste on improving some physical and chemical properties of sandy soils cultivated with wheat

Abstract

This research was carried out at Damascus University, Faculty of Agriculture (Laboratory of the Department of soil Sciences) for two years (2021-2022) with the aim of improving some physical and chemical characteristics of the sand soil by using some improvements such as cow waste and various sizes of volcanic ash, easy transportation, and utilization.  Soil samples were collected from the Jabala area ( Al-Sanobar station) in Latakia province at depths ((of 0-30 cm), the experiment was designed in a completely random design with six coefficients and three repeaters per transaction: (control plot, cow dung, volcanic ash (4-2mm diameter), volcanic ash (less than 2mm diameter), cow dung with volcanic ash (less than 2mm diameter).

The results demonstrated the positive impact of the added enhancements in the overall porosity of the soil and recorded the highest percentage of porosity when treated (cow waste with volcanic ash (diameter less than 2mm)) at 54.92%. The control plot treatment was lower at 48.43%. The addition of improvements led to an increase in soil organic content in comparison with the control plot, and the treatment (cow dung with volcanic ash (less than 2mm in diameter) recorded the highest organic content in the soil, reaching 1.13%, with moral differences with the rest of the transactions, and the control plot treatment recorded the lowest organic content reaching 0.64%. On the other hand, the results of the statistical analysis indicate that the highest total azo content was in the treatment of cow waste with volcanic ash (less than 2mm in diameter) and reached 0.057%, with a moral difference with the rest of the added transactions. The results also showed a moral superiority in the concentration of phosphorus available for the treatment of cow dung over other added transactions, at 28.34 mg/kg. The results of the available potassium analysis showed that the soil content of potassium was increased as a result of the addition of improved potassium. The soil had the highest potassium value at both treatments (cow dung with volcanic ash (diameter less than 2 mm), cow dung) and was 366.5-359.5mg/kg, respectively, with moral differences with other transactions; it also indicated that the added improvements had increased the cationic exchange values compared with the control plot, reaching the highest value in the treatment of cow dung with volcanic ash (less than 2mm diameter) and was 17.83 ml/100g soil.