Land suitability assessment of wheat in the Nile Delta using national SOTER database.

摘要

Egypt occupies the North-East corner of Africa and lies between latitudes 22 degrees N and 32 degrees N, and longitudes 25 degrees E and 36 degrees E. The most important soils in the Nile Delta are stratified loams or clays. These soils have high potential for irrigated crops. The main objective of this study is to determine the suitability assessment of wheat in the Nile delta as one application of the SOTER database in the Nile Delta to assess the potential for increase of the area cultivated with wheat. In this study SOTAL was used and modified for application in the Nile Delta. Two land utilization types (LUT) are distinguished: irrigated wheat cultivation under low input low technology and irrigated wheat cultivation under medium to high input and technology in Nile Delta. The results show that the major area (SOTER unit 6) is highly suitable and shows no limitations for wheat production even in the case of low input and technology. The obtained values show that SOTER unit 7 is highly suitable for wheat but in case of low input and technology there are limitations of nutrients availability. These soils texture are sandy to sandy loamy with low nutrient buffering capacity. SOTER unit 1 can be considered to be non-suitable for wheat cultivation because there is excess of high salts content and low availability of nutrients. Availability of oxygen, availability of nutrients and high salt contents are slightly limiting in SOTER units 3, 4 and 5. The SOTER unit 8, although it is clayey and highly fertile soil considered not-suitable for wheat due to the high salt contents which is considered as limiting factor for wheat cultivation.