الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract The study area is located in the North East of El Baharya Oases between longitude 29° 9’ 28.354” to 29° 27’ 38.264” East and latitudes 28° 47’ 26.562” to 29° 3’ 17.531” North and covers about 100,000 feddans. A physiographic analysis using unsupervised classification, Digital Elevation Model and soil topography on Sentinel 2A image August, 2021 was carried out to delineate the different physiographic units of the study area. Seventy soil profiles were examined to represent the soils of the study area. The study area was grouped into two main landscapes, Plateau and Plain. They form 23.77 % and 76.23% of the study area, respectively. The plateau has two mapping units (summit/shoulder and Backslope) and the plain has three mapping units (slop facet complex, nearly level and tread). The study soils are slightly to extremely saline (EC values range from 0.9 to 70.0 dS/m). Soil texture is sand to sandy loam. Soil pH values range from 7.2 to 8.9. Organic matter content is very low (<0.4%).The physiographic units were incorporated with soil analysis and field data to get the taxonomic units of sub great group level to represent physiographic soil map of the study area. The soils of the study area are classified as Aridisols (Haplogypsids, Haplocalcids, Calcigypsids and Petrogypsids)and Entisols (Torripsamments). The current capability of soils is moderately suitable (S2), marginally suitable (S3) and temporary not suitable (N1). The soils of class S2 form 69.26% of the study area. It includes one subclass S2x, as the texture is the limiting factor. The soils of class S3 cover an area of about 24.14% and it contains two subclasses namely S3xn (texture and salinity are the limiting factors) and S3xd (texture and depth are limiting factors).The soils of class N1 from 6.58% of the study area (depth, salinity and texture are limiting factors). Potential capability after applying some improvement, showed that about 87.78% of the total study area would be moderately suitable S2x , while 12.22% of the study area would be marginally suitable S3x,d. Evaluation of the actual and potential suitability of the soil to some crops such as wheat, barley, olive, and tomato was also discussed. |