Study of Variability of some Map Unit Properties and Incorporating FAO Method and GIS Techniques in Land Suitability Evaluation for Barley

The quality of soil maps depends on their ability to exhibit the soil variability. This study aims to investigate the soil spatial variability in S2 unit of a semi-detailed qualitative suitability map (1:50000 scale) for irrigated barley. Forty nine soil samples were collected in land unit 2.1 at 0-20 cm depth using regular network sampling method to determine the content of salinity (EC) , alkalinity (ESP), CaCO₃, pH, Organic Carbon (OC), CaSO₄, Sand, Silt and Clay parameters. The greatest variability observed in the OC (Coefficient of variation = 300) and Caso₄ (Coefficient of variation=0.40) respectively. The obtained result showed that the incorporating of FAO method and GIS techniques in land suitability evaluation for barley gave lower estimate of land index and yield than FAO methods alone (Storie and Square Root methods). The better accordance between estimated yield potential and observed yield potential by Square Root- Kriging method revealed that it was more accurate than the conventional FAO methods alone.