Land suitability analysis was done using remote sensing data and GIS technique for an area in Southwest Sinai that includes Wadi Baba, Wadi El-Bidaa, Wadi Naga El-Gada and Elwet Baba. Five physiographic units were delineated as rock land, bajada alluvial terraces, deltaic plain, and wadi. Eighteen soil profiles were described to represent the
physiographic units in the study area. Mapping the land suitability based on evaluating soil chemical and physical attributes versus each cropping pattern requirements using the Micro-LEIS Almagra software. The specified crops are: wheat, maize, potato, soybean and sunflower (as annual crops); and alfalfa (as semiannual crops), peach, citrus and olive (as perennial crops). The most limiting factors were soil texture, followed by salinity, sodium saturation, and lime content. The results of this study revealed that southwest Sinai has potentiality for agricultural land use where about 45.72% of the total studied area is highly suitable (S2) to
moderately suitable (S3) for the selected crops, while 54.28% of the total studied area is not suitable (S5) for them. |
