Hofel Ovası'nda Farklı Sulama Yöntemlerinin Uygulama Olanakları

Abstract

The main objective of this research was to compare different irrigation methods based upon a parametric evaluation system in an area of 11 533 ha in the Hofel plain located in the Khuzestan Province, in the South West of Iran. Once the soil properties were analyzed and evaluated, suitability maps were generated for surface, sprinkler and drip irrigation methods using Remote Sensing (RS) Techniques and Geographic Information System (GIS). The obtained results showed that for 1 562.2 ha (13.5 %) of the study area surface irrigation method was highly recommended; whereas for 5 989.3 ha (51.90 %) of the study area a sprinkler irrigation method would provide to be extremely efficient and suitable. The results demonstrated that by applying sprinkler irrigation instead of surface and drip irrigation methods, the arability of 7 083 ha (61.7 %) in the Hofel Plain will improve. In addition by applying drip irrigation instead of surface and sprinkler irrigation methods, the land suitability of 4 052.3 ha (35.1 %) of this plain will improve. The comparison of the different types of irrigation techniques revealed that the sprinkler and drip irrigations methods were more effective and efficient than the surface irrigation methods for improving land productivity. It is of note however that the main limiting factors in using surface irrigation methods in this area were heavy soil texture, CaCO 3 , drainage and slope. Moreover, the main limiting factors in using sprinkler irrigation methods in this area were heavy soil texture, drainage, salinity, and alkalinity; the main limiting factors in using drip irrigation methods were the CaCO 3 and heavy soil texture.