Evaluation of Soil Constituents and Water Quality on the Growth Rate of Olive Trees (Olea europaea L.) in Albaha Region, South-Western Saudi Arabia

The study aimed at evaluating the influence of the physicochemical properties of soil and water on the growth rate of olive trees (Olea europaea L.) at twelve locations at Albaha region, south-western Saudi Arabia. The studied locations demonstrated clear variation in soil contents. They showed deficiency in organic matter contents while they were significantly different in their soil salinity. Soil samples had no significant variations in their nitrogen contents and had moderate amount of phosphorous. Soil from Farm No.2a contained significantly high amount of calcium (2470 mg/kg) while Farm No.1b had high iron (690 mg/kg) content. Soil pH values of all the areas were in the neutral range. Water samples were not chemically contaminated and showed negative test for total coliform except water sample from farm No. 1 which had a positive test. The variations in growth rate and health among the studied trees could be attributed to the variations in physicochemical properties of soil and water at the studied locations.