Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Nigeria
2
Soil dept. Fac. of Agric Mansoura University , Mansoura . Egypt
3
Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University, Egypt
4
Soils dept. Faculty of agriculture Mansoura University , Elmansoura, Egypt
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate land capability and suitability indices of soils in western of El-Minya Governorate, Egypt. El-Minya is considered as one of the most important locations for land reclamation in the western desert, located at 27º 52ʹ 00"; 27º 55′ 00″ N and 29º 55′ 00″; 30º 1′ 00″ E, covering a total area of 36.76 km2 in the western Nile River region. Fifty soil profiles were dug to represent the geomorphological units in the studied area. Five geomorphological units were established; i) Deep sandy, mixed, hyperthermic, Typic Haplocalcids ii) Shallow sandy skeletal, mixed, hyperthermic, Typic Haplocalcids iii) Sandy skeletal, mixed, hyperthermic, Typic Calcigypsids iv) Sandy skeletal, mixed, hyperthermic, Lithic Calcigypsids and v) Sandy, mixed, hyperthermic, Lithic Calcigypsids. The soil order of the studied area is Aridisols. According to the ASLE model, the land productivity index was classified as poor (C4). Twenty crops were evaluated for their suitability in the studied area: wheat, maize, potato, sugar beet, cotton, soybean, sunflower, alfalfa, pea, citrus, olive, watermelon, apple, pear, date palm, fig, tomato, barley, faba bean, and sorghum. According to the ASLE model, suitability classes varied from very suitable (S1) to permanently non-agricultural (N2). These classes may be due to shallow soil depths, carbonate content, and low fertility
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