Chemical Analysis of Some Irrigation Waters in Sudan for Plant Nutrients Content and the Impact on Crops Production

Abstract

There were five samples of irrigation waters; of which three were surface
waters and two were underground waters were collected from different locations
in Sudan during summer and winter seasons. These samples were analysed for
N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S and micronutrient . For the N the
and

which are the forms of Nitrogen absorbed by plants from the growth medium
were not detected and hence, excluded from the results. P,K, Ca, Mg and S
were found in the ranges (0 - 0.20) , (3.9 - 49) , (30 - 108) , (3 - 25) and (0.18 -
0.32) ppm respectively for all locations. The Micronutrients were excluded from
the results because it displayed very low values. Based on the assumption that
one feddan (4200
) requires 400
equivalent to 400,000L of water for
optimum irrigation (prof H.H.Adm, personal communication) ,the amount of
nutrients supplied by one irrigation (in Kg) can be calculated which is important
for fertilizer recommendations to obtain economical crops yield. Also, a
proposal of measures to mitigate the potential harmful effect of excessive Ca on soil physical properties was suggested.