Assessment of different irrigation systems in Albaji Plain

The objective of this research was to compare different irrigation methods based on a parametric evaluation system in an area of 16,350 ha in the Albaji Plain of the Khuzestan Province, in the southwest of Iran. The soil properties of the study area such as texture, depth, electrical conductivity, drainage, calcium carbonate content and slope were derived from a semi-detailed soil study carried out on the Albaji Plain on a scale of 1:20,000. After the soil properties were analyzed and evaluated, suitability maps were generated for surface, sprinkler and drip irrigation methods using a geographic information system (GIS). The results demonstrated that by applying sprinkler irrigation instead of surface and drip irrigation methods, the land suitability of 14,530 ha (88.87%) of the Albaji Plain could be improved substantially. However, the main limiting factors in using surface and sprinkler irrigation methods in this area were heavy soil texture, drainage and salinity, and the main limiting factors in using drip irrigation methods were heavy soil texture, calcium carbonate and salinity.