Assessment of Silicon Status in Calcareous Soils of Banger Elsokkar Region, Egypt

There are a few studies present silicon status in Egyptian soils. Hence this study was initiated with the objective of understanding Si status in calcareous soils of Banger Elsokkar region, Egypt. Twenty six soil samples were collected from 3 villages of the region to cover 810.37 hectare. Total Si and fractions were determined. The results revealed that total Si ranged from311.2 to 5760.0 mg Si kg^-1soil. The highest concentration was found in the coarse textured soils. Also, sand, silt and clay contents are more effective in contribution to total Si content. The classification technique of manual, which was introduced by Arc GIS software, decided to classify the area into 6 zones and the dominant total Si class was 3001 to 4000 mg Si kg^-1 soil covered about 43% of the area followed by the class 2001 to 3000 mg Si kg^-1 soil and covered 30 % of the area. The results of sequential extraction indicated that most of the Si was mobile which represents 35.69 % of the total. Also, the classification technique of manual, which was introduced by Arc GIS software, decided to classify the area into 6 zones and the dominant mobile Si class was 1001 to 1500 mg kg^-1 soil covered about 43.7 % of the total area followed by the class 800 to 1000 mg kg^-1 soil and covered 31.7 % of the total area. The amorphous fraction was the lower level and represented 5.38 % of the total Si. The results also, indicated that about 11.36 % of total Si is bound in primary and secondary silicates.