Effect Of Sugar Cane Bagasse Cattle Manure And Sand Addition On Some Physical And Chemical Properties Of The Clay Soils And Sunflower Production In Central Of Sudan

Abstract The study was conducted at the experimental Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources Gezira University Wad Medani Sudan during the winter of 2004 and autumn 2005 to investigate the effects of adding bagasse cattle manure and sand 5n some physical and chemical properties of the soil and production of Sunflower. Each of the treatment was applied at a rate of 0 30 45 and 75 tha in a RCBD with three replications. The study showed that increasing the rate of the bagasse and cattle manure resulted in a highly significant reduction in soil bulk density but the addition of sand resulted in increasing the bulk density. Also it was found that porosity was increased highly significant when adding bagasse and cattle manure and a highly significant reduction in porosity when adding sand to the soil. Bagasse was most effective in reducing bulk density followed by cattle manure and sand. The study showed that increasing the rates of addition of each treatment resulted in small increment in exchangeable potassium total soil nitrogen and phosphorous. The highest production of sunflower 3.25 and 3.74 tha was obtained by addition of 45 tha of cattle manure to the soil which increased the production by 34.6 and 37 when compared to the control in the first and second season respectively. Also the production increased by 21.6 and 29.3 when adding 45 tha of bagasse to the soil in the first and second season respectively and the addition of 45 tha of sand to the soil increased the production of sunflower by 19.3 and 24 for the first and second season respectively.