A LOCAL MACHINE FOR CONSTRUCTION GRAVEL-FILLING MOLES TO ENHANCE RECLAMATION PROCESSES OF SALT-AFFECTED SOILS

Document Type : Original Article

Author

High Institute of Efficient Productivity, Zagazig University, Egypt.

Abstract

Heavy clay slat-affected soils due to their dense nature and bad physical and chemical properties have very low rates of solute and water movement. Thus these soils required long periods of time and high costs for reclamation. In a trying to enhance leaching efficiency through improving internal drainage of these soils; a local machine has been developed to construct gravel-filling mole drains. The machine performance was evaluated in a field study conducted in a clay saline sodic soil, during summer season 2009, at the Experimental Farm of the High Institute of Efficient Productivity, Zagazig Univ. The specific objectives were to: (1) evaluate the construction and gravel-filling performance of moles at  three different depths of 30, 45 and 60 cm,  three  construction spacing 2, 3,and 4m under four machine forward speed 4, 4.5, 5, and 6 Km.h-1, and (2) ameliorating role of moling in terms of their beneficial effects on soil infiltration rate (IR), and soil salinity and sodicity expressed as total soluble salts (ECe), and sodium adsorption ratio  (SAR), respectively. The obtained data showed that at mole depth about 60 cm and 2m mole space, the machine actual field capacity  and the percentage of tractor wheel slip were increased by about 28%and 120% respectively when the machine forward speed change from 4 to 6 km.h-1. While the energy requirements and mole filling efficiency were decreased (about 22%, and 5% resp.). Increasing the mole construction depth from 30 to 60 cm caused significant decrease in AFC by about 5%, non significant increase in operation costs, and highly significant increase of energy requirements by about 158%. Also, the mole filling efficiency, and tractor wheel slip percentage by about 6% and 65% respectively at machine speed 4.5 km.h-1 and 2 m mole space. The IR significantly increased by about 43% when the mole space decreasing from 4 to 2 m, and in turn caused highly significant improving in both soil salinity and its sodicity. The EC and SAR were decreased by about 57 and 60%, respectively. On the other side, IR was highly significant decreased (about 47%) when the moling depth increased from 30 cm to 60 cm and high significantly increased  in both soil salinity (EC) and its sodicity (SAR) by about 27% and 49 % respectively.

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References

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