Premium
THE SOILS OF MAZANDERAN IN NORTHERN IRAN AND THEIR SUITABILITY FOR PADDY‐RICE IRRIGATION
Author(s) -
ANDRIESSE J. P.
Publication year - 1960
Publication title -
journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 0022-4588
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1960.tb01081.x
Subject(s) - land reclamation , soil water , irrigation , environmental science , drainage , soil salinity , leaching (pedology) , soil classification , hydrology (agriculture) , agronomy , geology , geography , soil science , ecology , biology , archaeology , geotechnical engineering
Summary The soils which occur along the southern shore of the Caspian Sea, in the Mazanderan Province, which is one of the main rice‐producing regions in Iran, are formed mainly from young alluvial deposits in which pedo‐climate is considered to be the major soil‐forming factor. According to differences in pedo‐climate, the soils have been differentiated into soil associations which are related to the topographical situation in which they occur, namely the several landscapes characteristic of the morphology of a we11‐developed riverine plain. The occurrence of salty soils can be explained by the influence of the Caspian in the past, and their reclamation, although theoretically possible by drainage improvement, the application of soil amendments, and adequate leaching, has been found to be very difficult in practice. Soil analyses have shown interrelationships between natural vegetation or crop yield and salty conditions. The soils have been further classified according to their suitability for paddy‐rice cultivation, particularly with regard to the economy of irrigation water. As none of the irrigability classifications yet devised appears to be suitable for the purpose of classifying rice soils, a special system has been developed to meet the circumstances prevailing in Mazanderan.