COMPARISON AMONG SOME LAND EVALUATION METHODS ON DESERT ECOSYSTEM IN EGYPT CASE STUDY: AL-SALHEYIA AREA, EAST OF DELTA. | ||||
| Menoufia Journal of Soil Science | ||||
| Article 1, Volume 8, Issue 5, August 2023, Page 35-63 PDF (3.54 MB) | ||||
| Document Type: original papers | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/mjss.2023.229463.1015 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Adel Elwan  1; Khalifa A. M.2
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| 1Pedology Department, Water Resources and Desert Soils Division, Desert Research Center (DRC), ‎Cairo, 11753, Egypt | ||||
| 2Pedology Department, Water Resources and Desert Soils Division, Desert Research Center (DRC), ‎Cairo, 11753, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Land evaluation methods differ in approach and have not consistently shown positive outcomes outside of the areas where they were developed. The methods of USDA land capability classification (LCC), Storie index, fertility capability classification (FCC), and qualitative desert land potentiality evaluation (QLDLPE) were used to evaluate 41500 Faddans (≈17430 hectares) of agricultural lands in the Al-Salheyia area, east of Delta, Egypt, to see how well they agreed and performed. Several soil parameters relating to pedomorphological, physicochemical, and fertility properties were investigated. Five soil mapping units were determined based on solum depth, texture, soil salinity, and CaCO3 content. The soils ranged in depth from deep to moderately deep, in texture from coarse to fine, in salinity from nonsaline to strongly salinity, and in calcareousness from moderately to strongly calcareous. In terms of LCC, the lands were classified as arable class-III (5900 Faddans; 14.2%), arable class-IV (29450 Faddans; 71%), and nonarable class-V (6150 Faddans; 14.8%). The Storie index classified the soils tested into four categories: fair (5900 Faddans), poor (10250 Faddans), very poor (6500 Faddans), and nonagricultural soils (18850 Faddans). According to the LCC and Storie index, the soils were primarily limited by coarse soil texture, soil salinity, and wetness. Fine textured soils were limited by water logging 'g+', severe salinity 's', and high CaCO3 'b'. In contrast, according to FCC criteria, coarse-textured soils were limited by low ECEC 'e', low OM 'm', and dry season 'd'. Based on QLDLPE ratings, three potentiality classes were created: slight (6150 Faddans), moderate (18600 Faddans), and high (16750 Faddans). Although correlation analysis revealed a relationship between LCC, QLDLPE, and FCC, the Storie index had lower correlation coefficient values. The kappa coefficient (k) was determined between the land evaluation results and observed actual crop yield in tested soils. The statistical study revealed the most significant values of k, ranging from moderate to perfect agreement (0.59-0.94) between the QLDLPE and observed crop production, indicating that this approach is a powerful tool for predicting the natural resources of the desert environment. On the other hand, the Storie index demonstrated a poor concordance between its identified classes and the actual performance of the cultivated soils. As a result, the QLDLPE outperformed other approaches. Other methods of FCC and LCC have similar lower agreement values between their results and observed crop production. This shortage is because the Storie index and LCC gave the lowest score ratings for coarse sand texture and associated attributes. As a result, they classified most of the desert soils under investigation as nonarable lands, even though these soils are already cultivated and produce rich crops in an economically viable manner. Furthermore, the Storie index and LCC have fallen short of covering all soil, socioeconomic, political, and environmental criteria. As a result, these methodologies are insufficient and appear unjust for estimating the productivity potential of desert lands. This study found that QLDLPE is a qualitative multidisciplinary method and specialized tool for desert resource ecosystem optimization and sustainable management. Furthermore, all tested methods are classified as qualitative approaches that do not consider input or output measures. In the future, quantitative desert land potentiality evaluation (QNDLPE) methodology based on quantitative, economic, and profit measures should be designated and tested for economic land evaluation and valuation in the desert ecosystem. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| LCC; FCC; QLDLPE; Storie Index; Land Evaluation; Kappa Coefficient; Desert Soils | ||||
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