Abstract
The main objective of this research is to compare different irrigation methods based upon a parametric evaluation system in an area of 48956 ha in the Hendijan plain located in 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 Hendijan plain on a scale of 1:20000. Once the soil properties were analyzed and evaluated, suitability maps were generated for surface, sprinkle and drip irrigation methods using Remote Sensing (RS) Techniques and Geographic Information System (GIS). The obtained results showed that for 5917 ha (12.08%) of the study area sprinkle irrigation method was highly recommended; whereas highly suitable lands (S1) in this plain were not identified for drip and surface irrigation methods. The results demonstrated that by applying sprinkle irrigation instead of drip and surface irrigation methods, the arability of 47272 ha (96.56%) in the Hendijan Plain will improve. In addition by applying drip Irrigation instead of sprinkle and surface irrigation methods, the land suitability of 1549 ha (3.17%) of this Plain will improve. The comparison of the different types of irrigation techniques revealed that the sprinkle irrigation methods were more effective and efficient than the drip and surface irrigations methods for improving land productivity. It is of note however that the main limiting factors in using different irrigation systems in this area were soil texture, soil calcium carbonate content, salinity and drainage.
