Main Article Content
Abstract
Saline soils in Alsweira greater area representing mid-Mesopotamian plain saline soils were selected to study the effect of salt accumulation on available potassium and phosphorus in soil as a depth function. Strip transect area representing sever salt affected areas was located and soil samples was chosen along that transect. Results showed that soil salinization phases in the area was Chloridic and sulphatic salinization, therefore it affected the salt distribution in soils. The most dominant salt compound was sodium chloride in Chloridic salinization soils, while sodium sulphate was the dominant salt compound in sulphatic salinization areas. Results showed that the content of available phosphorus was fairly low while available potassium showed different ranges in soil. Available potassium was significantly positive correlated to electrical conductivity (ECe) while available phosphorus was significantly negative correlated with ECe. These results were figured as depth functions of these available nutrients in soil where the highest content of available potassium was in the upper horizon decreasing with depth, while available phosphorus showed a significant decrease with depth as soil salinity decreases with depth.
Keywords
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
- Abbas, M., & Wheib, K. A. (2021). Effect of spatial variability of some soil hydrological and physical properties in the distribution of some nutrients of Kifel-Shanafiya Project/Iraq. AGRIS - International System for Agricultural Science and Technology. The Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands. FAO. [DOI: Not Available]
- Ahmad, R. A. F. I. Q., & Jabeen, R. (2005). Foliar spray of mineral elements antagonistic to sodium—a technique to induce salt tolerance in plants growing under saline conditions. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 37(4), 913.
- Bayati, A.H.I., Hammad, J.A., Majdoub, R. & Jabbar, S.A., 2025, February. Pedological Study and Productive Capacity of Some Soils Within the Euphrates River Sediments at The City of Al-Ramadi in Iraq. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 1449, No. 1, p. 012097). IOP Publishing.
- Al-Hadethi, A. A. (2024). Yield and its components of corn at saline sodic soil washed with enriched water by a combination of phosphogypsum and humic acids. Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 55(4), 1475–1485
- Al-Jaff, B. O. (2024). Using center of gravity equation for mica and smectite in evaluation of K-status in some soils of Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 55(3), 1110–1119.
- Al-Jubory, H. H., & Al-Khafaji, Q. D. (2024). Reactions of potassium adsorption and availability in saline soils within Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. Asian Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 10(4), 604–614.
- Al-Jubouri, A. K., & Wheib, K. A. (2020). Effect of soil salinity on spectral reflectance of red and NIR wavelengths in AL-Salamiyat project. Plant Archives, 20(2).
- Al-najar, M.A.H. & Abbas, K.I., 2009. Effect of availability some elements in different soil in Basrah regions on some properties of date palm phoenix dactylifera (l.) Fruits cv sayer. Basrah journal of agricultural Sciences, 22(2).
- Al-Zubaidi, A. H. (1989). Soil salinity - Theoretical and applied foundations. Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, University of Baghdad.
- Anderson, D. (2010). Solonetzic soils of the Prairie Region. PSandC Prairie Soils and Crops Journal, 3, 65–72.
- Black, C. A. (1965). Methods of soil analysis part 1: Physical properties. American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
- Burt, R., Soil Survey Staff (2014) Kellogg soil survey laboratory methods manual. United States department of agriculture (USDA), natural resources conservation service (NRCS), soil survey investigations report, 42.
- Cheng, Y., Zhang, T., Gao, W., Kuang, Y., Liang, Q., Feng, H., & Galymzhan, S. (2024). An excessive K/Na ratio in soil solutions impairs the seedling establishment of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) through reducing the leaf Mg concentration and photosynthesis. Agronomy, 14(10), 2301. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14102301
- Day, P. R. (1965). Particle fractionation and particle-size analysis. In Methods of Soil Analysis: Part 1 Physical and Mineralogical Properties, Including Statistics of Measurement and Sampling (9th ed., pp. 545–567).
- Farahmand, A., Oustan, S., Jafarzadeh, A., & Aliasgharzad, N. (2012). Salinity and sodicity parameters in some salt-affected soils of Tabriz plain. Water and Soil Science, 22(1), 1–15.
- Gharaibeh, M. A., Albalasmeh, A. A., Pratt, C., & El Hanandeh, A. (2021). Estimation of exchangeable sodium percentage from sodium adsorption ratio of salt-affected soils using traditional and dilution extracts, saturation percentage, electrical conductivity, and generalized regression neural networks. Catena, 205, 105466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105466
- LaBarge, G. (2022). Developing phosphorus and potassium recommendations for field crops. Ohio State University Extension, Agriculture and Natural Resources.
- Guan, X., Chen, J., Liu, G., & Wang, X. (2024). Soil phosphorus forms in saline soil after the application of biomass materials. Agronomy, 14(2), 255. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14020255
- Hashem, A., Abd_Allah, E. F., Alqarawi, A. A., Al Huqail, A. A., & Egamberdieva, D. (2014). Alleviation of abiotic salt stress in Ochradenus baccatus (Del.) by Trichoderma hamatum (Bonord.) Bainier. Journal of Plant Interactions, 9(1), 857–868. https://doi.org/10.1080/17429145.2014.913303
- Hayward, H. E., & Wadleigh, C. H. (1949). Plant growth on saline and alkali soils. Advances in Agronomy, 1, 1–38.
- Hossain, M. S. (2019). Present scenario of global salt-affected soils, its management and importance of salinity research. International Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 1, 1–3.
- Huo, W., Peng, Y., Maimaitiaili, B., Batchelor, W. D., & Feng, G. (2023). Phosphorus fertilizer recommendation based on minimum soil surplus for cotton growing in salt-affected soils. Field Crops Research, 291, 108799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2023.108799
- ICARDA. (2014). Managing soil salinity to boost food security. https://www.icarda.org
- Kargas, G., Londra, P. & Sgoubopoulou, A., (2020). Comparison of soil EC values from methods based on 1: 1 and 1: 5 soil to water ratios and ECe from saturated paste extract-based method. Water, 12(4), p.1010.
- Liu, T., Dong, X., Guo, K., Wang, J., Liu, X., & Sun, H. (2024). Effects of fertilizer types and application levels on phosphorus availability of saline soils and crops: A meta-analysis. Land Degradation and Development, 35(13), 4068–4080. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3889
- Mahdee, H.S., Ati, A.S. & Rahim, B.R., 2023, December. Role of clay minerals on saturated hydraulic conductivity in different region of Iraq. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 1262, No. 8, p. 082006). IOP Publishing.
- Mahmood, I. A., Arshad Ali, A. A., Muhammad Aslam, M. A., &Armghan Shahzad, A. S., Tariq Sultan, T. S., & Fayyaz Hussain, F. H. (2013). Phosphorus availability in different salt-affected soils as influenced by crop residue incorporation.
- Mahmoud, M. A., & Al-Rubaai, S. M. (2019). Evaluation of the potassium availability in saline soils using the traditional chemical criterion. Biochemical and Cellular Archives, 19(1).
- Mam-Rasul, G. A. (2020). Potassium adsorption in calcareous soils of Kurdistan region of Iraq. Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 51(Special).
- Mehfooz, M., Bibi, S., Irshad, M., Hussain, Z., Mohiuddin, M., & An, P. (2023). Phosphorus extractability from saline and non-saline soils using different extraction methods. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 16(3), 164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-09849-4
- Microsoft Corporation. (2016). Microsoft Excel. https://office.microsoft.com/excel
- Naser, R. S., & Wheib, K. A. (2022). Effect of salt composition on spectral reflectance and salinity indices of soil. Indian Journal of Ecology, 49 Special Issue (20), 75–82.
- Osman, K.T. & Osman, K.T (2018). Saline and sodic soils. Management of soil problems, pp.255-298.
- Qadir, M., Ghafoor, A. and Murtaza, G., (2000). Amelioration strategies for saline soils: a review. Land Degradation and Development, 11(6), pp.501-521.
- Reddi, B. A. (2013). Why is saline so acidic (and does it really matter?). International Journal of Medical Sciences, 10(6), 747. https://doi.org/10.7151/ijms.v10i6.7529
- Richards, L. A. (1954). Diagnosis and improvement of saline and alkali soils (No. 60). Soil and Water Conservation Research Branch, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Saleh, S.M., Sultan, S.M & Dheyab, A.H., (2019). Study of morphological, physical and chemical characteristics of salt affected soils using remote sensing technologies at Basrah Province. Basrah Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 32, pp.105-125.
- University of Minnesota Extension. (2024). Potassium for crop production. https://extension.umn.edu
- Wakeel, A., (2013). Potassium–sodium interactions in soil and plant under saline‐sodic conditions. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, 176(3), pp.344-354.
- Wheib, K. A., & Ibrahim, O. N. (2012). Study of morphological and micromorphological properties of some salt-affected soil in the middle of Iraq. Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 43, 106–118.
- Wong, V. N., Greene, R. S. B., Dalal, R. C., & Murphy, B. W. (2010). Soil carbon dynamics in saline and sodic soils: A review. Soil Use and Management, 26(1), 2–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-2743.2009.00258.x
- Zaman, M., Shahid, S. A., Heng, L., Shahid, S. A., Zaman, M., & Heng, L. (2018). Introduction to soil salinity, sodicity, and diagnostic techniques. In Guideline for salinity assessment, mitigation and adaptation using nuclear and related techniques (pp. 1–42).
References
Abbas, M., & Wheib, K. A. (2021). Effect of spatial variability of some soil hydrological and physical properties in the distribution of some nutrients of Kifel-Shanafiya Project/Iraq. AGRIS - International System for Agricultural Science and Technology. The Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands. FAO. [DOI: Not Available]
Ahmad, R. A. F. I. Q., & Jabeen, R. (2005). Foliar spray of mineral elements antagonistic to sodium—a technique to induce salt tolerance in plants growing under saline conditions. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 37(4), 913.
Bayati, A.H.I., Hammad, J.A., Majdoub, R. & Jabbar, S.A., 2025, February. Pedological Study and Productive Capacity of Some Soils Within the Euphrates River Sediments at The City of Al-Ramadi in Iraq. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 1449, No. 1, p. 012097). IOP Publishing.
Al-Hadethi, A. A. (2024). Yield and its components of corn at saline sodic soil washed with enriched water by a combination of phosphogypsum and humic acids. Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 55(4), 1475–1485
Al-Jaff, B. O. (2024). Using center of gravity equation for mica and smectite in evaluation of K-status in some soils of Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 55(3), 1110–1119.
Al-Jubory, H. H., & Al-Khafaji, Q. D. (2024). Reactions of potassium adsorption and availability in saline soils within Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. Asian Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 10(4), 604–614.
Al-Jubouri, A. K., & Wheib, K. A. (2020). Effect of soil salinity on spectral reflectance of red and NIR wavelengths in AL-Salamiyat project. Plant Archives, 20(2).
Al-najar, M.A.H. & Abbas, K.I., 2009. Effect of availability some elements in different soil in Basrah regions on some properties of date palm phoenix dactylifera (l.) Fruits cv sayer. Basrah journal of agricultural Sciences, 22(2).
Al-Zubaidi, A. H. (1989). Soil salinity - Theoretical and applied foundations. Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, University of Baghdad.
Anderson, D. (2010). Solonetzic soils of the Prairie Region. PSandC Prairie Soils and Crops Journal, 3, 65–72.
Black, C. A. (1965). Methods of soil analysis part 1: Physical properties. American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Burt, R., Soil Survey Staff (2014) Kellogg soil survey laboratory methods manual. United States department of agriculture (USDA), natural resources conservation service (NRCS), soil survey investigations report, 42.
Cheng, Y., Zhang, T., Gao, W., Kuang, Y., Liang, Q., Feng, H., & Galymzhan, S. (2024). An excessive K/Na ratio in soil solutions impairs the seedling establishment of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) through reducing the leaf Mg concentration and photosynthesis. Agronomy, 14(10), 2301. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14102301
Day, P. R. (1965). Particle fractionation and particle-size analysis. In Methods of Soil Analysis: Part 1 Physical and Mineralogical Properties, Including Statistics of Measurement and Sampling (9th ed., pp. 545–567).
Farahmand, A., Oustan, S., Jafarzadeh, A., & Aliasgharzad, N. (2012). Salinity and sodicity parameters in some salt-affected soils of Tabriz plain. Water and Soil Science, 22(1), 1–15.
Gharaibeh, M. A., Albalasmeh, A. A., Pratt, C., & El Hanandeh, A. (2021). Estimation of exchangeable sodium percentage from sodium adsorption ratio of salt-affected soils using traditional and dilution extracts, saturation percentage, electrical conductivity, and generalized regression neural networks. Catena, 205, 105466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105466
LaBarge, G. (2022). Developing phosphorus and potassium recommendations for field crops. Ohio State University Extension, Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Guan, X., Chen, J., Liu, G., & Wang, X. (2024). Soil phosphorus forms in saline soil after the application of biomass materials. Agronomy, 14(2), 255. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14020255
Hashem, A., Abd_Allah, E. F., Alqarawi, A. A., Al Huqail, A. A., & Egamberdieva, D. (2014). Alleviation of abiotic salt stress in Ochradenus baccatus (Del.) by Trichoderma hamatum (Bonord.) Bainier. Journal of Plant Interactions, 9(1), 857–868. https://doi.org/10.1080/17429145.2014.913303
Hayward, H. E., & Wadleigh, C. H. (1949). Plant growth on saline and alkali soils. Advances in Agronomy, 1, 1–38.
Hossain, M. S. (2019). Present scenario of global salt-affected soils, its management and importance of salinity research. International Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 1, 1–3.
Huo, W., Peng, Y., Maimaitiaili, B., Batchelor, W. D., & Feng, G. (2023). Phosphorus fertilizer recommendation based on minimum soil surplus for cotton growing in salt-affected soils. Field Crops Research, 291, 108799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2023.108799
ICARDA. (2014). Managing soil salinity to boost food security. https://www.icarda.org
Kargas, G., Londra, P. & Sgoubopoulou, A., (2020). Comparison of soil EC values from methods based on 1: 1 and 1: 5 soil to water ratios and ECe from saturated paste extract-based method. Water, 12(4), p.1010.
Liu, T., Dong, X., Guo, K., Wang, J., Liu, X., & Sun, H. (2024). Effects of fertilizer types and application levels on phosphorus availability of saline soils and crops: A meta-analysis. Land Degradation and Development, 35(13), 4068–4080. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3889
Mahdee, H.S., Ati, A.S. & Rahim, B.R., 2023, December. Role of clay minerals on saturated hydraulic conductivity in different region of Iraq. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 1262, No. 8, p. 082006). IOP Publishing.
Mahmood, I. A., Arshad Ali, A. A., Muhammad Aslam, M. A., &Armghan Shahzad, A. S., Tariq Sultan, T. S., & Fayyaz Hussain, F. H. (2013). Phosphorus availability in different salt-affected soils as influenced by crop residue incorporation.
Mahmoud, M. A., & Al-Rubaai, S. M. (2019). Evaluation of the potassium availability in saline soils using the traditional chemical criterion. Biochemical and Cellular Archives, 19(1).
Mam-Rasul, G. A. (2020). Potassium adsorption in calcareous soils of Kurdistan region of Iraq. Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 51(Special).
Mehfooz, M., Bibi, S., Irshad, M., Hussain, Z., Mohiuddin, M., & An, P. (2023). Phosphorus extractability from saline and non-saline soils using different extraction methods. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 16(3), 164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-09849-4
Microsoft Corporation. (2016). Microsoft Excel. https://office.microsoft.com/excel
Naser, R. S., & Wheib, K. A. (2022). Effect of salt composition on spectral reflectance and salinity indices of soil. Indian Journal of Ecology, 49 Special Issue (20), 75–82.
Osman, K.T. & Osman, K.T (2018). Saline and sodic soils. Management of soil problems, pp.255-298.
Qadir, M., Ghafoor, A. and Murtaza, G., (2000). Amelioration strategies for saline soils: a review. Land Degradation and Development, 11(6), pp.501-521.
Reddi, B. A. (2013). Why is saline so acidic (and does it really matter?). International Journal of Medical Sciences, 10(6), 747. https://doi.org/10.7151/ijms.v10i6.7529
Richards, L. A. (1954). Diagnosis and improvement of saline and alkali soils (No. 60). Soil and Water Conservation Research Branch, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Saleh, S.M., Sultan, S.M & Dheyab, A.H., (2019). Study of morphological, physical and chemical characteristics of salt affected soils using remote sensing technologies at Basrah Province. Basrah Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 32, pp.105-125.
University of Minnesota Extension. (2024). Potassium for crop production. https://extension.umn.edu
Wakeel, A., (2013). Potassium–sodium interactions in soil and plant under saline‐sodic conditions. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, 176(3), pp.344-354.
Wheib, K. A., & Ibrahim, O. N. (2012). Study of morphological and micromorphological properties of some salt-affected soil in the middle of Iraq. Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 43, 106–118.
Wong, V. N., Greene, R. S. B., Dalal, R. C., & Murphy, B. W. (2010). Soil carbon dynamics in saline and sodic soils: A review. Soil Use and Management, 26(1), 2–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-2743.2009.00258.x
Zaman, M., Shahid, S. A., Heng, L., Shahid, S. A., Zaman, M., & Heng, L. (2018). Introduction to soil salinity, sodicity, and diagnostic techniques. In Guideline for salinity assessment, mitigation and adaptation using nuclear and related techniques (pp. 1–42).