EI Ser - EI Gwareer, the eastern part of North Sinai Agriculture Development
Project (NSAOP), is a depression that embodies many landforms; i.e., sand sheet,
sabkha, plain covered with desert pavement, wadi bottom and terraces. Eighteen
representative soil profiles were morphologically studied and their samples were
subjected to physical and chemical analyses aiming to carry out soil classification as
well as land evaluation using different systems.
According to the US Soil Taxonomy ( 1998) soils belong to both Aridisols and
Entisols. Five soil families could be identified within Typ < /em>ic Torriorthents, Typic
Torripsamments and Typic Torrifluvents subgreat groups. Whereas other seven soil
families were found belonging to Typ < /em>ic Haplocalcids, Typic Haplogypsids, Typic
Calcigypsids and Gypsic Aquisalids subgreat groups.
Regarding land evaluation, systems adopted were the modified Storie Index by
Nelson (1963), the land suitability for irrigated agriculture according to Sys et aI,
(1991), in addition a new computer model for Abd EI Mutaleb and Hussein (1985)
proposed by the authors, and applied here .
According to the modified Storie Index by Nelson (1963), it found that studied
lands belong to classes marginally suitable C with productivity index ("Ot" from 60.0 to
60.6% ) and currently not suitable (with "01" from 31.1 to 52.4%).
According to Sys et.al., (1991), the studied area could be distinguished into
classes; i.e., moderately suitable (S2) (with suitability index "CI" from 52.1 to 60.3% ),
marginally suitable (S3) ( with "C." from 25.2 to 48.5%) and not suitable (N) (with "Ci"
from 6.6 to 21.2%).
Regarding to the proposed computer model, the land falls into two classes
;namely, marginally suitable (0) and currently not suitable lands (E). The marginally
suitable lands have final index (FILE) from 55.1 to 67.6%, while the currently not
suitable lands (0) have final index (FILE) from 31.0 to 54.2 %. Comparison between
the three land evaluation systems was discussed.