Properties of New Reclaimed Soils in the Merowi Irrigation Project of North Sudan

Abstract

This study is a correlation analysis between main productivity limiting soil parameters of desert soils of North Sudan. The indications are based on data of 52 soil profiles representing the desert plain as the main land form of the region. The results show a high significant correlation of cation exchange capacity with both clay and silt in two soil depths. This positive correlation is a new guide for better understanding of the colloidal behaviour of desert soils. The salinity and sodicity interactions of the studied soils were tested via correlation analyses of EC_e, ESP and SAR for salinity and sodicity, respectively. The high positive correlation between EC_e and ESP indicates a strong association of saline and sodic soils in the desert plain of Northern Sudan. The high positive correlation of ESP and SAR enables a formula to estimate ESP by using the SAR data.