Impact of long-term intensive cropping under continuous tillage and unbalanced use of fertilizers on soil nutrient contents in a small holding village

Abstract

Long-term field studies are important to generate information on changes in soil, which help in understanding nutrients management strategies for sustainable crop production. The present study was carried out in Kafr El-Kadera village at El-Monofia governorate, Egypt located at Middle Delta. It started in 1981 and was repeated in 2008 to evaluate the effect of continuous cropping, tillage and unbalanced fertilizers use on soil properties. The village cultivates two irrigated crops/year. Fertilizers used are nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) only. No potassium (K) or micronutrients were used. Results showed that, electrical conductivity (EC) showed decrements, while organic matter (OM) and CaCO 3 showed increases with time. The average values of P content increased with time in all sites. On the other hand, potassium and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) showed decreases with time.