The studied area lies between latitudes 28o 22' to 28o 28' north
and longitudes 30o 26' to 31o 03' east. By applying the technique of
Landsat Imagery (ETM7, Enhanced Thematic Mapper 7) and the
physiographic approach, the area under study at El-Menya
Governorate could be identified as a best model for representing
many landscape features in Egypt. The studied area includes both the
continental alluvium deposits of River Nile and desert sediments that
were derived from the local parent rocks. These deposits are
developed on many physiographic units such as the Nile alluvial
plain, River bank, Islands, Alluvial terraces, Aeolian plain and Wadis.
In addition, the rock structures are delineated as a rock outcrops. The
differences between the studied physiographic units are represented
by twelve soil profiles. The studied soil profiles were fully described
and soil samples were collected for laboratory analysis.
Soil taxa were categorized into three orders according to USDA
(1999 and 2003), and many soil families as follows:
i) Vertisols: Typic Haplotorrerts, clayey and Halic Haplotorrerts,
clayey in the Nile alluvial plain.
ii) Aridisols: Typic Calcigypsids, fine loamy, mixed, hyperthermic and
Typic Haplocalcids, fine loamy, mixed, hyperthermic in alluvial
terraces unit.
iii) Entisols: Typic Torriorthents, fine loamy in the River bank unit;
Typic Torriorthents, sandy and Typic Torriorthents, coarse loamy in
the Island unit; Typic Torrifluvents, fine loamy over sandy,
(calcareous) and Typic Torrifluvents, loamy skeletal in Wadis unit;
Typic Torripsamments, siliceous and Typic Torriorthents, coarse
loamy in Aeolian plain unit.
The soils of the identified physiographic units were evaluated to
assess the suitability classes of agricultural irrigated soils, which
categorized into the different categories of highly (S1), moderately
(S2), marginally suitable (S3) as well as not suitable (N). Also, the
studied soils were evaluated according to their suitability for specific
crops, i.e., cereal crops (wheat, barley and maize), field crops (cotton
and sunflower), vegetables (tomato), fodder crops (alfalfa and
sorghum) and fruit trees (banana, citrus, guava, mango and olive) to
identify their supreme current and potential suitability.