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Soil Fertility and its Relationship to Soil Mineralogy of some Areas in Southwest Sinai, Egypt

Soil minerals represent an important component of its system, and study of their role in soil fertility is essential for better soil management and consequently high productivity. The aim of this research is to study the influence of soil minerals on some soil fertility attributes such as clay percentage, OM and CEC. Physical and chemical properties of clay minerals affect soil fertility by controlling nutrient availability and supplies, through the stabilization and sequestration of soil organic matter. Clay minerals also affect soil physical properties through microaggregate formation and controlling soil microbial population and activity. The soils of the study area had a coarse texture with low water retention and high permeability. The clay content is very low. Quartz grains are one of the most common detritus minerals present in different percentages. It was derived from granite and sandstone as parent materials in the study area. Most quartz contains extremely low concentrations of plant nutrient elements other than Si. Although quartz is highly resistant to weathering, silica is slightly soluble at the common pH values of soils. Feldspars are alkali aluminosilicates and are, by far, the most abundant igneous rock forming minerals. Calcite is a calcium carbonate mineral, which was formed in the study area form the breakdown of the carbonate rocks e.g. limestone and dolomite. The low soil-CEC and low organic matter are the main fertility constraints of these soils. Therefore, organic matter application is recommended to improve CEC, carbon content, and nutrient availability.