Assessing the Impacts of Compost and Sulphur on Some Soil Quality Indicators and Yield of Maize Grown in Saline Soil

ABSTRACT: A field experiment was carried out on maize at the Experimental Farm of Faculty of Agriculture (Saba-Bacha), Alexandria University, Egypt, during the summer season of 2017, to evaluate the effects of compost and sulphur amendments on soil quality and maize yield potentials in salt-affected soil. The experiment was run, using split plot design with three replicates. The treatment variables were comprised of 4 compost application rate, including 0, 5.25, 10.5 and 21 kg/plot (0, 2, 4 and 8 ton/fed) and 4 application rates of elemental sulfur, 0, 0.525, 1.05 and 2.10 kg/plot (0, 200, 400 and 800 kg/fed). The results revealed that the soil physical properties were markedly improved in terms of aggregation and infiltration rate, accompanied with a decrease in the soil bulk density. The results detected on the soil chemical properties characteristics showed remarkable reductions on the soil pH, EC and SAR. In the absence of sulphur application, the respective detected values were defined by 8.28, 5.34 dS/m, and 12.11, due to compost applications; the subsequent receded values were actually decreased to 7.60, 4.43 dS/m, and 6.12, when 8 ton/fed compost was combined with 800 kg/fed sulphur. Similarly, the available phosphorus and potassium were increased. The biological soil date revealed remarkable increases in organic matter and active carbon, content, being the highest for the combined treatment of 8 ton/fed compost and 800 kg/fed sulphur, providing 4.86%, 5.92 mg C/kg dry soil, respectively. The date also showed that the highest records of straw and grain yield potentials were defined by 13.68 and 18.7 ton/fed for the combined treatments of 8 ton/fed compost and 800 kg/fed sulphur, respectively, accompanied with marked increases in the harvest index criteria.