Assessment of soil fertility for sugar beet in the irrigated area of ​​Doukkala (Faregh)

The reasonable management, protection and maintenance of the fertility and productive potential of soil, a resource that is not very renewable, are essential to ensure food security and sustainability. This work aims to study the properties and fertility of soils in the Faregh area, which is the first to be equipped with irrigation in the Doukkala area. The physicochemical characterization of the soils was carried out by means of laboratory analyses, and the assessment of their fertility was carried out on the basis of recognized standards and using statistical methods. Soil samples were taken at the 0-30 cm level at 80 sites. The measured physicochemical parameters were as follows: clay (A), silt (L), sand (S), exchangeable potassium (K), assimilable phosphorus (P), pH, organic matter (OM) and boron (B). The results obtained show that the soils have a balanced sandy texture (A = 15.43, L = 14.35, S = 70.22%) with a high variability (CV > 35%) for A and L and average variability (20.29%) for S. The soils studied are poor in OM (average = 1.05%) with an average variability (CV = 34.4%), while the pH has a neutral tendency (average = 7.43). In 76.3% of the cases, it presents a low variability (CV = 6.96%). The soils are rich in K (135.41 ppm) for 63.7% of the soils and P (73.79 ppm) for 82.6% of the soils. However, the majority of the soils (82.5%) are poor in boron (average = 0.42 ppm). These three parameters have a high variability (CV > 35%). The texture and pH of the soils are suitable for sugar beet cultivation. The contributions of K and P depend on the yield to be achieved, and boron must be added to avoid yield losses. Organic matter must be recovered by adding manure and through good management of residues.