11 | Appropriate Evaluation of Soils Delta of the Wadi Horan within the Province of Upper Euphrates, Iraq for Some Technologies of Irrigation Systems AbdulKarem Ahmed Al-Alwany, Farhan J. Mohamed Althyby, and Adel K. Salemn |
CONTENTS
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Materials and Methods of Work
11.2.1 Description of the Study Area
11.2.2 The Geology of the Study Area
11.2.3 Topography and Physiography Study Area
11.2.4 Summit
11.2.5 Upper Slope
11.2.6 Lower Slope Down Slope
11.2.7 Terraces
11.2.8 Flood Plain
11.2.9 Data Sources
11.2.10 Field Work and the Collection and Analysis of Laboratory Samples
11.2.11 Analysis of Data for the Suitability of Irrigation Methods
11.2.12 Climate of the Study Area
11.2.13 Use of the Land
11.2.14 Natural Vegetation
11.2.15 Geomorphology of the Study Area
11.3 Results and Discussion
11.3.1 Soil Classification
11.3.2 Desert Soils (Dry) Aridisol
11.3.3 Soil Composition (Sedimentary Soils) Entisols
11.3.4 Classification of Soil Units as Suitability for Surface Irrigation and Drip
11.3.5 Sources and Quality of Irrigation Water
11.4 Conclusions and Recommendations
References
The agricultural expansion in the desert lands is one of the most important objectives to be taken in the plans of agricultural expansion in Iraq, in order to bridge the gap between the population increase and the deterioration of land and food needs. The study area is one of the most important areas of future expansion in terms of agricultural potential (Investment map for promising areas – Anbar Agriculture Directorate, 2009).
Assessing land suitability for irrigation is an important tool not only in planning for agricultural development but also in overcoming the global problem of scarcity of water used for food production, especially because Iraq has for many reasons prevented it; this is due to Iraq not seriously planning to establish real agricultural development until it imports everything from crops. This has had a disastrous impact on the economy of the state and the deterioration of agricultural land due to the abandonment and lack of exploitation in an optimal manner, causing a state of deterioration, especially in the case of salinity; thus, there has been an increase in the proportion of land desertification.
Water is one of the important sources of growth and development for human societies. The water crisis is a real problem worldwide. Most of the world suffers from the scarcity of its water resources, whether it is for domestic use or for agriculture, industry, and development. Consequently, water management and investment are a challenge for workers in the field of agriculture and irrigation all in dry and semidry climatic conditions, and the optimal investment of this important resource for the development and transfer of modern technology and its dissemination in irrigation projects in conjunction with the study of soil characteristics and their suitability with irrigation methods, and the utilization of all available traditional and nontraditional water resources (Albaji et al., 2008).
FAO 1997 defines surface irrigation as holding water on the surface and allowing it to soak the soil to some depth. Drip irrigation is the flow of water droplets to a s...
