3.1.3. Soil characteristics
Soils of the study area were mostly sandy with some gravel on
the surface, having a minimal content of clay and a low nutrient
retention capacity. The surface was almost flat to undulating. There
were some patches of shale in the subsurface layer (0.30m depth)
consisting of very fine clay cemented by gypsum, CaCO3 and iron
oxide. Soil structure was single grains. Stratified layers (Aeolian
deposits) were noticed when inspecting and describing soil profiles
reflecting the action of the winds as an important soil formation
agent. Characteristic of the investigated soils in 2008 are illustrated
in Table 2. It is noticed that, soil characteristics were correlated with
the results of crop yield, where zone 1 had relatively adequate soil
characteristics represented by low CaCO3 and EC values, fair O.M
& pH values and adequate nutrients level. In zone 4, there was a
clear deficiency in both macro and micro nutrients. On the other
hand, there was a shortage in organic matter content and salinity
was high in most samples.