 |  |
| Bildiri Özetleri | |
| Ana Sayfaya Dönüş |
| Back To The Main List |
|
Mahmut DİNGİL, Suat ŞENOL, M. Eren ÖZTEKİN, Levent ATATANIR Çukurova University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil Science, Adana, Turkey Abstract Results from for the Land Capability Classification (LCC), Suitability Classification for Irrigated Agriculture (SCIA) and Suitability Classification for Agricultural Use (SCAU) for the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) soils were compared with each other. It is determined that total area which is suitable for agriculture (I., II., III. and IV. classes) covers 1.753.677 da (52.4%) and class 1 86.234 da (2.6%). Total area for nonagricultural use is 1.049.775 da (31.3%) according to LCC, except for nonagricultural lands. Results of SCIA and LCC have shown similarities. Class I covers 164.843 da (5%) and lands, which are not suitable for irrigated agriculture, is 1.068.197 (32%). Class 1 covers according to SCAU 259.328 da and nonagricultural area is 484.093 da. Introduction Land evaluation applications are carried out according to collected data from soil survey studies. The need for agricultural land is rapidly increasing for various reasons, especially with the increase in world population. The significance of the subject becomes more important when the obligations of a sustainable land management by preserving the plant productivity and potential of soils for the next generations are considered. Soils have different properties and attributes. Function of land use planning is to decide that how lands should be used by humans and also to sustain soils for the next generations (Dinç and Şenol, 1998). The properties of land are affected by different land use. Misuses such as highways, factories and buildings on class I soils are damaging the structure of land. For this reason, other function of land evaluation is to explain that harmful results of improper land use, and to provide comparison of the best suitable land use (FAO, 1977). Land evaluation studies are the first step for land use planning. If there is no land evaluation of an area, problems can be seen about land use and land productivity. Besides, incorrect land uses brings on other incorrect uses. For example; if class 1 agricultural area is used as highway, other uses such as factories, buildings, etc., are build at the sides of highway. Consequently, an incorrect use of lands rapidly increases. Land evaluation studies are not applied just for protection of agricultural areas. Suitable areas for nonagricultural uses should be determined through land evaluation studies as well. In this study, LCC, SCIA and SCAU classes of soils for the TRNC are determined by using detailed soil maps 1:25000 scale of TRNC. Agriculture areas cover 56.2% of total area of TRNC (Dinç et al. 2000). Consequently, land evaluation studies are more important for soils of TRNC. Aim of this study is to correct and optimize usage of soils in TRNC. Material and Method The study was applied in TRNC that have 321.927-hectare total area. Detailed soil maps (1:25000) and the report complied by University of Cukurova Faculty of Agriculture Department of Soil Science are used. Soil characteristics such as surface soil texture, slope, soil depth, surface stoniness, surface rockiness, drainage, salinity, pedogenic horizons, subsoil texture, subsoil structure, lime content, vertic property, soil color and stoniness in the profile were evaluated and Capability Classes and Subclasses according to Klingebiel and Montgomery (1961), Suitability Classes for Irrigated Agriculture (SCIA) according to USBR (1953) were determined. In addition, SCAU of soils were established according to Şenol Land Evaluation Method by ILSEN (Şenol and Tekeş, 1995) software. Values of soil depth, slope classes, salinity classes, surface stoniness classes, LCC, SCIA and SCAU, which are given in figures and tables, are calculated by using Microsoft Excel software. Finally, results of land evaluation methods in soil of TRNC were compared with each other. Results of Research Land Characteristics of Soils of TRNC Main soils characteristics are determined to be affecting land suitability are soil depth, slope, soil salinity, stoniness and rockiness according to studies of soil survey and land evaluations in TRNC. Besides, also climate is very important restrictive factor for agricultural usage of the soils in the region. It's determined that insufficient precipitation is the most significant restrictive factor for the cultivation of soils for agriculture according to LCC. Deep (90-120 cm) and very deep (120 cm+) soils cover 46% and moderately deep soils covers 12% of the total area in TRNC. Shallow, very shallow and litosolic soils which are limiting factor for agricultural activity covers 42% of the total area in TRNC. In the study area, distributions of soil depth classes are given in Fig. 1. Land that has no slope problem are grouped in to class A (0-2%). Which overs 25% of the total area. Ar (areas with wavy topography) and A (flat areas) cover together 41%. Coverage of areas with moderately slope (B 2-6%) is 24% and 35% of study area have severe limitations or not suitable for agricultural usage. Distributions of slope classes are given in Fig. 2.  Salinity, a direct result of excessive evaporation and low precipitation distributed over large areas and it is a very important problem. In the study area 69% of soils have no salinity problem whereas 5% of total area is moderately and strongly saline. The remaining 26% is slightly saline. Distributions of salinity classes are given in Figure 3. There is no stoniness in the 52% of the study area. On the other hand, there is stoniness problem on the 476.476 da (16%) of the study area (except for non-agriculture area). Distributions of surface stoniness are given in Figure 4. Drainage is not an important problem on TRNC soils because of 3/4 of study area has moderately medium texture and soils with more than 6% slope covers 35% of the study area.  Land Capability Classification (LCC) Land characteristics, which are affecting LCC, SCIA and SCAU on the soils of TRNC, are slope, soil depth, salinity, stony and rockiness. Class 1 agriculture area, which has no limitations, covers 86.234 da (2.6% of the study area). Total area of soils that are suitable for cultivated agriculture (I. II. III. and IV classes) in TRNC is determined to be 1.753.677 da. On the other hand, non-agriculture areas are 1.049.775 da. Land capability classes, sub classes, total area and distribution of soils (%) are given in Table 1.  Suitability Classification for Irrigated Agriculture (SCIA) It is determined that SCIA has shown similar distribution with LCC. Class 1 lands, which are very suitable for irrigated agriculture, cover 5% of the study area. Class 1 covers more area than SCIA according to LCC, because of soil depth is less limiting factor for irrigated agriculture. Class 5 (temporarily not suitable) is not present on soils of the study are according to SCIA. Land, which is not suitable for irrigated agriculture, covers 1.068.197 da (32%) of the study area. Some of these lands are included class 6 because it has more than 12% slope. Suitable irrigation techniques (drip irrigation) can be applied on these lands, which are not suitable due to the slope limitation. Areas (da), percentage and classes of the soils of TRNC are given in Table 2 according to SCIA. Suitability Classes for Agricultural Using (SCAU) Land Suitable for agriculture is determined to be 259 328 da according to SCAU on TRNC soils. On the other hand, 484.093 da area is determined to be completely non-agriculture area. Areas (da) of agriculture and non-agriculture lands and its percentage are given in Table 3 according to SCAU.  Results and Discussion Distributions of class 1 soils are quite less, according to every evaluation method (LCC, SCIA and SCAU) (Figure 5). Selected Agriculture Lands (class 1) cover more area than other evaluation systems according to SCAU, because of SCAU evaluates soils according to ecological conditions of the study area. Therefore, in this study, soils are evaluated according to the principles, which are determined by FAO (1977). Classes V., VI., VII and VIII which are non-agriculture area (NA) according to LCC, class 6 according to SCIA and class 5 according to SCAU are evaluated together (Figure 5). SCIA is applied to evaluate the suitability for irrigated agriculture of the TRNC soils. However, LCC takes into consideration only the physical and chemical properties of the soils. Classes VI. and VII. according to LCC are merged together and evaluated as non-agriculture (NA) (Figure 5). Most of the land is classified as class II. and III. (for LCC, SCIA and SCAU). Also, class VI covers large areas according to LCC and SCIA. There are no class VI and VII., because of SCAU has only five classes.  Climate, topography, soil properties and parent material are contributing to the loss of soils by erosion, therefore soils of TRNC have significant problem with erosion. In the study area, arid climate, parent material of soils and slope are providing ideal conditions for water erosion. It's necessary that soils of the region have to be protected from erosion. Therefore, soils should be used accordingly to its capability according to the results from land evaluation, which are determined by this study. Washing of in the profile is minimum clue to the amount of precipitation, which is insufficient. Consequently, decomposed salts in water either are accumulated in profile or carried to basin areas. This condition is present especially in Mesaoria Plane (300 mm). Literatures . Dinç, U., Şenol, S., 1998. Toprak Etüd ve Haritalama. Çukurova Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Genel Yayın No: 161. Ç.Ü. Basımevi. Adana. S 195-196. . Dinç, U. ve ark., 2000. Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti Detaylı Toprak Etüd ve Haritalama Projesi. Lefkoşa. K.K.T.C. Cilt 1. 356-376 S. . FAO, 1977. A Framework for Land Evaluation. International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improvement/ILRI. Publucation 22. Wageningen, The Netherlands 87 p. . Klingebiel, A. A., Montgomery, P. H., 1961. Land Capability Classification. Agric. Handbook 210. Soil Conserv. Ser. V. S. Gov. Print. Office. Washington 21 P. . Şenol, S., Tekeş, Y., 1995. Arazi Değerlendirme ve Arazi Kullanım Planlaması Amacıyla Geliştirilmiş Bir Bilgisayar Modeli. İlhan Akalan Toprak ve Çevre Sempozyumu. Cilt I. Yayın No: 7-1995. Ankara Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Halkla İlişkiler ve Yayın Ünitesi, Ankara (sayfa A-204-210). . USBR, 1953. Irrigated Land Use. Bureau of Reclamation Manual. Vol. V., Part 2. Land Classification. Denver. U.S. Dept. Interior. Colorado. |