Land suitability classification of a desert area in Egypt for some crops using microleis program.

3 Abstract: Desert reclamation for agricultural production is one of the priorities to compensate for the loss of agricultural land and to minimize food supply shortage in Egypt. Wadi El-Rayan Depression is one of the reclamation projects the Egyptian government has initiated. Since cultivation started at Wadi El-Rayan Depression, several problems have arisen in the project area including soil salinity, drought, water logging and expansion of the water bodies. This region is a world heritage site and has been selected to be a protected area. Thus, optimum use of the resources in the region needs to be thoroughly evaluated. Based on the interpretation of satellite image with the dominant geomorphic units, 65 soil profiles represented by 138 soil samples were characterized in Wadi El-Rayan Depression. A Web-based program, MicroLEIS, was used to compare the soil characteristics and quality needed for 12 different types of crops. The Web-based soil evaluation system indicated that the soils of the study area are not suitable for the selected crops due to one or more limiting factors. However, there are some exceptional cases where the soils were either suitable or marginally suitable. Unnecessary agricultural expansion may harm or damage the study area. Alternatively, continuing to improve tourism activities is a better land use for natural resource protection and economical development in Wadi El-Rayan Depression.