EFFECT OF MINERAL POTASSIUM, COMPOST AND BIOFERTILIZERS ON SOIL PHYSIO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND PRODUCTIVITY OF SESAME GROWN ON SALT AFFECTED SOILS

A field experiment was conducted in salt affected soils during the summer season  2010 at El- Amel village, Sahl El-Tina, North Sinai Governorate, Egypt. This experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of potassium fertilizer applied at a rate of 25, 50 or 75 K₂O kg fed^-1 as mineral fertilizer (K₂SO₄) individually or combined with compost at a rate of 5 Mg fed^-1or biofertilizer on sesame yield and yield components as well as some soil physical and chemical properties  and available macronutrients (N, P and K) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn and Zn). The results showed that potassium sulfate combined with compost significantly increased growth parameters and sesame yield and its contents of macro and micronutrients. The seed inoculation with biofertilizer in the presence of potassium sulfate significantly affected the sesame yield and its contents of the studied nutritive elements.
The interaction between potassium sulfate combined with compost and biofertilizers exhibited significant effect on plant growth, nutrients status in the seeds of sesame. Also, it enhanced some physical and chemical soil properties, where it reduced both pH, EC, bulk density, HC and increased total porosity, field capacity, wilting point and available water as well as availability of some nutrients such as N, P and K. It could be concluded that the seed inoculation with biofertilizer combined with compost in the presence of potassium sulfate resulted in high productivity of sesame under new reclaimed salt affected soils. Overall, compost treatments improved soil physical and chemical properties compared to mineral potassium fertilizer and initial soils.