Damghan City Research Articles

The biostratigraphy and palaeobiogeography of Cambrian and Ordovician acritarchs and chitinozoa from the Simeh-Kuh, NW Damghan City, the Alborz Mountains, northern Iran

A study in Simeh-Kuh, northern Iran, focuses on Ordovician strata, documenting acritarchs and chitinozoa, and has helped to understand ancient environments. The aim is chronostratigraphical calibration, using palaeontological data including brachiopods, trilobites, and graptolites. Ninety-three surface samples were collected and analysed, yielding a rich collection of 117 morphotypes, including 59 acritarch species and 58 chitinozoan species. Eight acritarch assemblage biozones (A–H) and 14 chitinozoan biozones (1–14) were established. Biozones A–F indicate Late Cambrian to Middle Ordovician ages in the Lashkarak Formation, while biozones G–H indicate the Late Ordovician in the Ghelli Formation. The Eremochitina brevis-Linochitina pissotensis biozones suggest late Floian to late Darriwilian ages, and the Belonechitina robusta-Armoricochitina nigerica biozones support a Late Ordovician age. These findings place the Alborz Mountains in the North Gondwana Domain during the Ordovician. Palynomorphs with a thermal alteration index of 4.0–4.5 indicate overmature organic matter in Lower Palaeozoic deposits, potentially linked to the Ordovician metamorphic event in the southern Caspian Sea. Additionally, four new species were identified: Cyathochitina sp. A, Tanuchitina hosseini-nezhadi sp. nov., Dactylofusa kazzazii sp. nov., and Inflatarium alborzensis sp. nov.

The effect of technical and vocational training organization's skill trainings on the entrepreneurial creation of home businesses by women from underprivileged areas of Damghan city

The effect of technical and vocational training organization's skill trainings on the entrepreneurial creation of home businesses by women from underprivileged areas of Damghan city

Peri-Gondwanan acritarchs and chitinozoans from the Lower–Middle Ordovician Lashkarak Formation in the Alborz Mountain Ranges, northern Iran: regional stratigraphical significance and palaeogeographical implications

The Lashkarak Formation (Lower–Middle Ordovician) in the Gerdkuh locality, 10 km west of Damghan city, northern Iran, has been found to contain acritarchs and chitinozoans. This study aimed to understand these chitinozoan and acritarch successions as well as brachiopods in this part of the Alborz Mountains, in a novel manner. Ninety-seven surface samples from this succession were collected and analysed. Thirty samples yielded well-preserved palynomorph taxa such as acritarchs, chitinozoans, and scolecodonts, as well as graptolite remains. In total, 53 taxa were identified among the acritarchs (38 species belonging to 21 genera) and chitinozoans (15 species belonging to 10 genera). Although scolecodonts and graptolite remains were also observed, they were not studied in detail. The palynological analyses revealed the presence of several diagnostic acritarchs in the Lashkarak Formation, including Vulcanisphaera simplex, Arbusculidium filamentosum, Coryphidium bohemicum, Dactylofusa velifera, Striatotheca mutua, Arkonia virgata, and Orthosphaeridium ternatum. These acritarchs allowed the recognition of five acritarch assemblage zones. Similarly, seven chitinozoan biozones were recognised: Eremochitina brevis, Desmochitina ornensis, Belonechitina henryi, Cyathochitina protocalix, Cyathochitina calix, Siphonochitina formosa, and Laufeldochitina clavata. These findings confirm the inclusion of the Alborz Mountains in the peri-Gondwana palaeoprovince during the Early–Middle Ordovician. The co-occurrence of the acritarch and chitinozoan taxa with previously identified brachiopods allowed for the establishment of a more detailed Early–Middle Ordovician biozonation, demonstrating their potential usefulness for global chronostratigraphy. Based on palynological and brachiopod assemblages, a shallow marine inner shelf setting is suggested for the Early–Middle Ordovician at the Gerdkuh locality. Moreover, in this study, four new morphotype species were erected, consisting of one new chitinozoan (Cyathochitina gerdkuhensis sp. nov.) and three new acritarchs (Baltisphaeridium razii sp. nov., Navifusa alborzensis sp. nov., and Orthosphaeridium iranense sp. nov.). However, Othosphaeridium cf. ternatum was left in open nomenclature.

Molecular Detection of Leishmania Infection in Phlebotomine Sand Flies from an Endemic Focus of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Iran.

Due to the outbreak of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL), a disease caused by Leishmania major and mainly transmitted by Phlebotomus papatasi, in Damghan City, Semnan Province, the probable vectors of the disease were investigated in the city from 20 March 2016 to 20 January 2018. Sand flies were collected from indoors and outdoors biweekly by sticky traps in different parts of the city. The trapped sand flies were stored in 70% ethanol. They were identified and checked for Leishmania infections using nested-PCR method and specific primers; CSB1XR, CSB2XF, LiR, and 13Z. Overall, 1862 phlebotomine sand flies of Ph. papatasi (48.8%), Ph. andrejevi (8.3%), Ph. caucasicus (7.7), Ph. mongolensis (2%), Ph. sergenti (1.2%), Ph. alexandri (0.7%), Sergentomyia murgabiensis sintoni (29.3%), and Se. sumbarica (2%) were collected indoors (31.1%) and outdoors (68.9%). The highest and lowest numbers of collected sand flies were belonging to Ph. papatasi (48.8%) and Ph. alexandri (0.7%) respectively. 2.2% of the examined sand flies were shown to be infected with L. major and all were belonging to Ph. papatasi. This study confirms the report of Ph. papatasi infection with L. major and also the existence of Ph. sergenti and Ph. alexandri, the potential vectors of L. tropica and L. infantum respectively, in Damghan City. According to the findings, it is necessary for health officials to plan and take action to prevent the occurrence of ZCL epidemic in the city as well as the occurrence of other forms of leishmaniasis.

Evaluation of alteration zones around Parmagasu copper indication, Kuh Zar, Damghan, Iran, using ASTER satellite data

Parmagasu copper indication is located 100 km southeast of Damghan city, Iran. Copper, gold, Pb, and Fe mineralizations have occurred in the region, in the Eocene trachyandesite-andesite porphyry host rocks. This study attempts to identify alteration zones and their expansions to comprehend the origin of mineralizations and their distribution pattern in the area. The phyllic alteration zone is surrounded by more extensive propylitic alteration. The argillic zone is less widespread than the other alteration zones and overlaps with the phyllic zone. The Band Ratio, Principal Component Analysis, Independent Component Analysis, and Spectral Angle Mapper remarkably identified the alteration zones among the employed methodologies. The validity of the results was proved by field observations, microscopic investigations, and the computed overall accuracy for the outcomes of supervised classification. This investigation confirms the importance of faults in the occurrence of alteration in the Kuh Zar area.

Evaluation of Resources and Potential Measurement of Wind Energy to Determine the Spatial Priorities for the Construction of Wind-Driven Power Plants in Damghan City

The rate of energy consumption is increasing worldwide due mainly to economic advancement and population growth. As a result, renewable energy sources have gained unprecedented popularity. Wind power has attracted much attention recently as it is economical and does not create environmental pollution. One vital factor that must be considered in the construction of a wind-driven power plant is the selection of a suitable location. Location choice is highly dependent upon the outcome of investigating a potential construction site. This research, along with investigating the effectiveness of parameters for determining a potential location, aims to explore the elements that play a major role in identifying and selecting an optimal wind farm site. The most suitable locations for the construction of wind farms in the city of Damghan were identified and selected through analyzing and integrating maps using GIS software. Within the whole Damghan city area, about 2,240 km2, which comprises 16% of the city’s area has been identified as suitable for establishing wind-driven power plants. By considering the relevant elements and keeping an appropriate distance between the plants to avoid power reduction, it is estimated that a total energy output of about 1,000 MW can be produced by wind-driven power plants in this city.

Simulation of Pan Evaporation Rate by ANN Artificial Intelligence Model in Damghan Region

Regarding different aspects of management of drainage basins and droughts, prediction of evaporation is very important. Evaporation is an essential part of the water cycle and plays an important role in the evaluation of climatic characteristics of any region. The purpose of this research is to predict daily pan evaporation rate of Damghan city using an artificial neural network model. The data applied in this research are daily minimum and maximum temperatures (Tmin and Tmax), average relative humidity (RHmean), wind speed (WS), sunny hours (n), air pressure (PA) and evaporation during the statistical time period of 16 years (2002-2018). Also, the multilayer perceptron was used as a non-linear method to simulate evaporation. Since the units of the inputs and outputs of the prediction model were different, all the data were normalized. In the multilayer perceptron model, 7 different scenarios were considered. About 70 and 30 percentage of the data were used for training and testing, respectively. The model was analyzed using appropriate statistics such as mean square error (RMSE), coefficient of determination (R2),mean absolute error (MAE) and mean square error (MSE). Results showed that the seventh scenario including Tmin, Tmax, RHmean, WS, ‎ n ‎, and PA proved to be the superior scenario among others. The values of RMSE, R2, MAE and MSE for the superior scenario were 2.75 mm/day, 0.8030, 1.88 mm/day and (mm/day)2, respectively.

Analysis of Water Use Type and Its Consequences on the Structure of Rural Settlement (Case study: Abdullahabad village- Damghan city)

کمبود آب و بهره‌برداری ناصحیح از منابع یکی از معضلاتی است که در دهه‌های اخیر گریبان‌گیر جامعه و تغییرات اساسی در سکونتگاه‌های روستایی شده است. این پژوهش به اثرات بلندمدت تغییر در نوع بهره‌برداری از آب بر ساختار سکونتگاه روستایی، جمعیت، مهاجرت و کشاورزی به عنوان اشتغال اصلی روستاییان در روستای ‌عبدالله‌آباد ‌دامغان به عنوان یکی از روستاهای آسیب‌دیده و در معرض نابودی پرداخته ‌شده ‌است. با شناسایی و تحلیل منابع تامین آب شهر دامغان و روستای مذکور در بازه زمانی 50 سال، ترسیم نمودار پیزومتریک چاه‌های منطقه، شناسایی تغییرات نوع بهره‌برداری ازآب، تحلیل ساختار بافت و اراضی کشاورزی روستا با تصاویرهوایی سال‌های 1345، 1366، 1397و تحلیل نتایج آماری جمعیت و مهاجرت، به اثرات محلی و منطقه‌ای تغییر در نوع بهره‌برداری آب پرداخته‌شده‌است. رویکرد عمده پژوهش به جهت محدودیت منابع مبتنی‌بر تحلیل و مشاهدات میدانی است شیوه گردآوری اطلاعات به صورت کتابخانه‌ای و مصاحبه‌های میدانی است که به روش توصیفی - تحلیلی به نگارش در آمده‌ است. در نتیجه پژوهش، تغییر در نوع بهره‌برداری از قنات (بهره‌برداری پایدار) به چاه (بهره‌برداری ناپایدار) سبب ایجاد سه دوره، با شرایط کالبدی، ساختاری و جمعیتی متفاوت در روستا گردید که در پایان به جهت بهره‌برداری بهینه از اراضی کشاورزی و منابع آب موجود در روستا و همچنین اصلاح زنجیره پیوسته عناصر حیاتی محلی و منطقه‌ای، طرح پیشنهادی ارائه گردید.

Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of the Hazardous Wastes and their Management in Industries of Damghan City

Introduction: In recent years, unauthorized disposal of the hazardous wastes has threatened the human health and created many environmental problems in human societies. Given the direct and indirect hazards of these wastes, it is essential to collect information with regard to their appropriate management in Iran. The purpose of this study was to determine the quantity and quality of the hazardous waste and its management in industries of Damghan City in Iran.
 Methods: Initially, the list of industries in Damghan City was prepared. Later, the necessary coordination was made with the relevant organizations and active units were identified. After the field tours, information on the quality, quantity, and management of the hazardous wastes was collected by a questionnaire. 
 Results: The results showed that the total hazardous waste products in the investigated industries were 4795 kg per month; 36.36% of the industries produced toxic substances, 9.09% created corrosive substances, 36.36% flammable materials, and 18.18% resulted in reactive substances. None of the studied industrial units had a control system after disposal of the industrial hazardous waste. Furthermore, only 36.36% of the industries had specialized staff to collect and dispose the hazardous waste.
 Conclusion: To prevent environmental pollution and preserve the human health, a proper management system should be established for organizing the industrial wastes. Furthermore, identifying and gathering information about the industrial processes, raw materials, and waste products can be very useful in managing hazardous industrial wastes.

Assessing Direction of desertification changes in an Arid Region (A Case study: Semnan County, Iran)

Desertification is a serious ecological, environmental, and socio-economic threat to the world, and there is an urgent need to develop rational methods for its evaluation at different spatio-temporal scales. This study aimed to address the main directions of desertification changes in Semnan County, Iran. Monthly precipitation was used to calculate a 12-month SPI (Standardized Precipitation Index) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) obtained by LandsatThematicMapper (TM) sensor of April month were used for the three years, viz., 1987, 1998, and 2011. Five major categories were identified at level-I and they were subdivided into 11 categories including, 1. Residential areas, 2. Vegetation, 3. Bare and rocky areas, 4. Salt lands and 5. Sand areas. The results indicated that the reduction of the NDVI values was consistent with the changes in land use/land cover. This progress was taken place in some areas with the development of bare soil to salt land, and in some areas with the expansion of sand land, particularly from 1987 to 1998. The results indicated that the salt lands increased 348.24 and 721.57 square kilometers from 1987 to 1998 and from 1998 to 2011, respectively. The results revealed that desertification occurred at a rapid rate, especially towards the east and southeast directions in the study area. That was, towards the Dasht-e-Kavir and Damghan City. The results showed that besides using NDVI and SPI for drought monitoring, the meteorological variables such as temperature, sunshine hours and evaporation could improve the accuracy of interpretation of the results.

Molecular Detection of Leishmania major in Hemiechinus auritus, A Potential Reservoir of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Damghan, Iran

Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major is endemic in 17 of 31 Iranian provinces. Various species of rodents have been introduced as the main reservoirs of the disease. This study was conducted to determine the natural infection of hedgehogs with Leishmania spp. in an endemic area of the disease, northern Iran. Fifteen long-eared hedgehogs were captured alive during 18 months study period, from Apr 2015 to Sep 2016, in Damghan City, Semnan Province, Iran. The animals were identified using apparent characteristics and to determine the Leishmania infection, impression smears were prepared from their ear lobes, hind feet, livers, and spleens. Microscopic examination and semi-nested PCR were applied to determine the infection and to identify the parasites species respectively. All examined animals were identified as Hemiechinus auritus (Family: Erinaceidae). In microscopic examination, 8 (53.3%) samples were shown to be infected with Leishmania parasites. The higher and lower rate of the infection was observed in the ears as well as the feet and in the liver specimens, 53.3%, and 33.3% respectively. Forty percent (6/ 15) of the samples were molecularly positive and all were identified as L. major parasites. All the examined animals in autumn and 50% of them in summer were shown to be infected with Leishmania parasites. This study demonstrated the natural infection of H. auritus with L. major for the first time in Damghan City and introduced these mammals as new potential reservoirs of ZCL in the study area.

Assessment of SHV, CTX-M, and IMP Genes in Beta-Lactam-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolated from Patients with Urinary Tract Infection

Objectives: Escherichia coli are resistant to β-lactam antibiotics due to the acquisition of plasmids that encode broad-spectrum β-lactamases. Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) have particular importance in antimicrobial therapy. The current study aimed at determining the frequency and role of SHV, CTX-M, and IMP genes in resistance to ceftriaxone, imipenem, and piperacillin antibiotics in E. coli isolated from patients with urinary tract infection (UTI). Methods: The study population included outpatients and inpatients of two genders in all ages with UTI. A total of 270 non-duplicate E. coli stains producing ESBL from Velayat Hospital, Damghan city, Semnan province, Iran were isolated using screening and double-disc phenotypic test. All isolates were screened to detect SHV, CTX-M, and IMP genes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: In total, 120 (44.4%) samples were positive for ESBLs including 30% CTX-M, 27.5% SHV, and 0% IMP genes. The obtained results showed that the responses of male and female patients to the examined antibiotic were different. The distribution of underlying diseases (diabetes, kidney stones, obstructive disease, congenital anomalies, and hospitalization history) was different in patients with UTI. It was observed that after hospitalization history, diabetes had the highest frequency in female (31.08%) and male (27.59%) patients with UTI. Conclusions: However, bacterial strains producing ESBLs such as E. coli should be considered as a major threat to public health due to the risk of resistant to broad-spectrum cephalosporins. Therefore, to prevent resistance to antibiotics, indiscriminate administration of such agents should be avoided.

Developing various hybrid energy systems for residential application as an appropriate and reliable way to achieve Energy sustainability

ABSTRACTDamghan city is an area in Iran that has the suitable potential for energy supply by renewable energy. The average wind speed for Damghan is 3.54 m/s, and solar radiation is 7.8 (h/d) that it shows good potential for energy supply. In this paper, four different models of hybrid renewable energy systems with a combination of photovoltaic panels, wind turbine, and diesel generators are investigated for residential application in Damghan city. Simulation, optimization, and modeling procedures are done by HOMER software. From the technical view, this study shows that among three hybrid systems investigated, PV-wind system has the highest value of electrical production with 18,478 kWh/yr and the PV-diesel system has the lowest value of electrical production with 9,876 kWh/yr. Moreover, from the environmental view, the PV- Diesel system is highest with 2,402 kg/yr and the PV-wind system has the lowest pollution rate, i.e., 0%. These results show that long-term planning for investing in renewable energies is proper for this city.Abbreviation: NPC: Net present cost; : Capital recovery factor; k: Shape Parameter; COE: Energy cost balance; c: Scale Parameter; : Power panel; NOCT: Normal Operational Cellular Temperature; : Ambient temperature; : Rated power of the wind turbine; : Cut-in wind speed; f: The function of the Weibull distribution;: Rated wind speed; : Cut-out wind speed; : Coefficient of performance; A: Swept area; : Wind speed; : Air density; : Reference module efficiency; A (m): PV generator area; G (t): Solar irradiation in tilted module plane; G: Solar irradiation; : Solar radiation at a standard temperature condition; : the temperature at reference conditions; : The temperature coefficient of the PV module; : Ambient temperature; : Potential voltage; : at standard condition (V); :Panel’s current at standard condition; : Short circuit current at standard condition; Open circuit (V/°c) temperature coefficients; : Wind speed at height of h; : Wind speed at height of ; :Fuel quantity; H: Fuel heating value (MJ/L); : Total annual cost (in dollars); C: Carbon emission factor (ton carbon/TJ); : Oxidized carbon fraction; I: Nominal interest rate; n: Number of years; Eis: Electrical energy; Egrid: Amount of electricity sold to the grid; tCO2: Amount of CO2 emissions; : Temperature at standing operational condition; Tc: operational temperature of panel.

Petrogenesis and tectonic setting of the Tuyeh-Darvar Granitoid (Northern Iran): Constraints from zircon U-Pb geochronology and Sr-Nd isotope geochemistry

Tuyeh-Darvar granitoid, which outcrop ca 45 km Sw of Damghan city, in the Eastern Alborz zone, comprise mainly the pluton emplaced into the Barut Formation of Lower Cambrian ages. Zircon U-Pb ages show Carboniferous ages (325 ± 3 Ma) for the formation of this granitoid. The granitoid is mostly metaluminous, ferroan and alkalic monzonite to monzodiorite. "These rocks have high values of FeOT/MgO and Ga/Al, high concentrations of K2O+Na2O, low abundances of MgO and transitional elements. Plots normalized to chondrite and primitive mantle compositions show strong enrichments of LREE relative to HREE and of LILE relative to HFSE, accompannied by negative anomalies of Nb and Sr."They contain Fe-rich hydrous mafic minerals and magnetite. These features are typical of A-type granites. Sr-Nd isotopic geochemistry, with initial ɛNd values from −1.1 to −1.5 and initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios between 0.70562 and 0.70678, are consistent with magmatic differentiation from mafic melts produced from an enriched mantle source. However, other models such as melting of mafic crust or mixing of components from depleted mantle and continental crust cannot be discarded. On the basis of the U-Pb zircon age (325 ± 3 Ma) and the known magmatic tectonic regime in Iran during the Paleozoic, it is suggested that the pluton, formed in a rift environment related to extensional structures of the Alborz block in Early Carboniferous time.

Natural infection of Nesokia indica with Leishmania major and Leishmania infantum parasites in Damghan city, Northern Iran

Various species of rodents are proven reservoir hosts of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in different provinces of Iran and potential reservoir hosts of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the leishmanial infection of rodents in Damghan city from April to September, 2015. Sum of 100 rodents of three species; Nesokia indica (95), Mus musculus (3), and Microtus socialis (2), were trapped alive and their tissue samples were examined using parasitological and molecular (nested-PCR) methods. A total of 71% (71/100) of examined rodents were parasitological positive for Leishmania spp. amastigotes. The highest rate (72.6%; 69/95) of infection was related to the N. indica species. The microscopic observations showed that 42% of ear samples were positive. Additionally, 12% of rodents with negative ear result were positive in liver. 16 out of 41 (39%) parasitological positive samples, belonging to the N. indica, were shown molecularly positive. Of which, 15 were L. major (13 of ear and 2 of spleen samples) and one of spleen samples was L. infantum. This is the first report of N. indica natural infection with L. infantum parasite. To understand the role of this rodent as reservoir host of L. infantum, extant ecological and epidemiological studies are needed.

Biological index and pollution assessment of Damghanroud river in the Semnan province

Fresh Water Rivers are one of the most important aquatic ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran in point of biodiversity and drinking water views. Damghanroud River is one of these rivers at Semnan province that during past years has been threatened by drought and anthropogenic pollutions. This river supplies some parts of drinking water of Damghan city and some vicinity villages. The aim of the present study is to consider Biological Index of the river; for this purpose, limnological and hydrobiological studies of the river were carried out. At this study, seven sampling stations were determined based on limnological standard method along the river; afterwards sampling of invertebrates (Biological Index) and water quality (BOD) were performed seasonally during study period. The results showed that the first station (Cheshmeh-Ali) is free of pollution while the fourth sampling station (Doab) is the most polluted region at the river because the first station has no pollutant resource but the fourth station directly receives wastewater of agricultural activities and rural wastewaters. According to biomonitoring and water BOD measurement findings, Damghanroud River has relatively polluted situation and is classified in β-mezosaprobe class and benthos biological index has been deteriorated at this river.

Explanation of Academic Achievement Based on Personality Characteristics Psycho-Social Climate of the Classroom and Students’ Academic Engagement in Mathematics

This research explains academic achievement based on the personality characteristics, the psycho-social climate of the classroom in terms of academic engagement in mathematics. The population was high schoolboys and girls in Damghan city in Iran. Participants were randomly selected using a multi-stage cluster method (513 boys and girls) and they simultaneously completed three questionnaires: academic engagement, the psycho-social climate of the classroom and personality characteristics. Path analysis was used to analyze data. The results showed that the direct effects of personality characteristics and psycho-social climate of the classroom on academic achievement were not significant. The direct effects of openness, conscientiousness and psycho-social climate of classroom on academic engagement were significant. The indirect effects (with mediation of academic engagement) and overall effects of openness, conscientiousness and psycho-social climate of classroom on academic achievement were significant, also the effect of academic engagement on academic achievement was significant.

Health Seeking Behavior of Diabetic Patients in Koohzar Village in Damghan city.

Introduction:The present study which is carried out in the field of medical anthropology seeks to investigate the meaningful medical behaviors of people with diabetes living in the village of Koohzar have taken to improve or reduce the problems associated with the disease regarding to knowledge and resources available in the country.Material and methods:Field and in-depth study are used as research methods. After determining the people with diabetes which were 17 persons, interview and questionnaire have been used to collect the data.Results:The findings indicate that 3 factors including lack of health facilities, poverty and financial problems and finally cultural issues are most influential factors in determining the health behaviors of villagers, respectively.

Land suitability evaluation for irrigated barley in Damghan plain, Iran

The aim of this study is evaluating of accuracy of FAO methods for qualitative land suitability of barley in Damghan plain and make easy farmers' choice for planting the best crop in the land. This study was carried out in an area including 5400 ha in the southern part of Damghan city in the form of semi-detailed surveying level. The results showed that the climatic characteristics of the region were suitable for irrigated barley plantation. Lack of suitable water for irrigation, soil salinity and alkalinity, some soil physics properties and poor soil fertility were the most serious problems influencing yield and quality of barley. Assessment results showed Square Root method (SL) and Simple limitation method (SR) had close correlation. This study suggested to use SL method and SR for evaluation of the land suitability. According to the obtained results of SR and SL methods cultivation of barely with moderately and marginally suitable class are recommended. Proper land management practices, leaching, drainage, land preparation crop rotation, specific irrigation methods and using resistant crop help to increase crop yield in this area.

Qualitative evaluation of land suitability for wheat in Northeast-Iran Using FAO methods

In the recent study, land suitability evaluation for wheat has been determined using FAO methods in Damghan plain located in Semnan province of Iran. This study was carried out in an area including 5400 ha in the southern part of Damghan city in the form of surveying at a semi-detailed level. In study area, two orders including Aridisols and Entisols, three families and nine soil series were identified. The results showed that the climatic characteristics of the region were suitable for wheat growth. The main important limiting factors of land characteristics were soil physics properties, salinity and alkalinity. Assessment of the results by means of the two methods- Simple limitation and Square Root showed a close mutual correlation and only in case of Storie method, the number of land classes were much lower than in other methods. This study suggests that the use of Simple Limitation method and Square Root is more appropriate for evaluation of the qualitative land suitability than others.