Preliminary assessment of the effects of fertilizers on soil properties in farming areas, southern Kuwait

PurposeThe present study aims to determine the residue levels in the soil and water prior to, and after fertilization, as previous soil investigations in Kuwait indicated that different types of fertilizers are used leaving residues in the soil, in order to assist the prospective farmers in choosing environmental sound chemicals for each crop. The importance of the following is to determine the geologic conditions of the soil in such a productive farm area and the effect of the use of fertilizers.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the study purpose soil and water samples were collected over a wide area and chemical parameters (pH, electrical conductivity (ECe), cations (Ca+2, Mg+2), and anions (CO3−2,HCO3−,Cl−)) were obtained via the suitable and most appropriate chemical analyses.FindingsThe soils have several levels of calcareous contents along with varying salinity and alkalinity. Before fertilization on average, soil ECe ranges from 0.93 to 4.37 mS/cm, pH from 7.4 to 7.60, cations 8.00 to 36.00 meq/l, and anions from 4.85 to 29.61 meq/l. After fertilization pH ranges from 7.09 to 7.47, ECe ranged from 3.79 to 12.85 mS/cm, cations ranges from 29.75 to 66.36 meq/l, and anions ranges from 15.18 to 63.32 meq/l; showing that ECe, cations and anions average values has increased by almost three to four orders of magnitude. Furthermore, ECe, pH, cations, and anions values have sharply increased with depth. The evidence from this study shows that vertical leaching adversely contributes to the deterioration of the groundwater quality and rate.Practical implicationsThe output of this study is intended to be the building block or the nuclei for a data bank on the prevailed agricultural practices in different aspects, and upon which further studies on the southern area of Kuwait will depend.Originality/valueThe farm areas in the southern region of Kuwait state (case study: Al‐Wafrah farms) suffer from misuse and mismanagement of the agricultural lands in different aspects. This paper provides new source of information on the historical record of farm development and the nature, performance and results of the associated agricultural practices in such areas, as so to be the base or the starting point form which further studies can go forth.