Land use planning by Appling land evaluation systems

Land evaluation is one of the most reliable agricultural systems suitable for land use planning of desert and newly reclamation areas. Recently, the Egyptian government established a mega national project called “the New Delta project” located west of the old Nile Delta. The study area is categorized by arid climate condition and remarkable geomorphological features which greatly influence the type and distribution of soils. Forty two soil profiles representing the study area covering 93374.4 feddan were selected, dug and described morpho-pedologicaly. Hundred and nine soil samples were collected and analyzed to estimate soils’ physical and chemical properties in order to define land capability and soil suitability for agriculture use under irrigated systems. GIS processing was undertaken using IDW module to interpolate estimated data spatially between profiles. An automated land evaluation systems were applied to determine land capability and soil suitability indices namely applied system of land evaluation (ASLE). The results indicated that the land capability according to ASLE was defined as fair (C3) 53 feddan, poor (C4) 25 feddan and very poor (C5) 15 feddan classes over the entire area. The suitability of fifteen crops was investigated. The majority of the chosen crops were moderately suitable (S3) and marginally suitable (S4) for agriculture according to ASLE as affected by one or more of the limiting factors. The primary limiting factors affecting crop production in the study area were identified as soil texture, soil depth, and soil fertility.