Site Detection for planting of Chosen Agricultural and Horticultural Plants in Abyek Region, Qazvin Province

Soil surveying and land suitability are essential for conducting an applied research and acquiring land and soil characteristics information. The aim of this study was to detect appropriate zones for some chosen agricultural and horticultural plants in current and future conditions. The studied region with an area of 295 hectares was located at Abyek region in Qazvin province. Soil moisture and temperature regimes were Weak Aridic and Thermic, respectively. Alluvial fan and piedmont plain were predominant physiographics that were leveled for agricultural purposes. Nine soil profiles were described and classified based on soil taxonomy,which were placed in Aridisols and Entisols order. Current and future land suitabilities were surveyed taking into account of the climate, soil and land conditions for five land utilitization type (including: autumn canola, tomato, apple, pear and walnut). The results showed that existence of relatively large amount of stone, gravel, rubble, carbonate calcium equivalent and soil pH were the most important limitation factors for different utilization types. For tomato and walnut, land suitability class couldn’t be promoted to S1 (no limitation). It was because of climate condition of the region that was more or less restrictive for them. However, land suitability class for other LUTs could be improved by implementing suitable land management practices. Also, 40% and 43% of the total study area were suitable (S1) for horticultural and irrigated agricultural use, respectively. Finally, due to high limitations, the remaining 17% of area could be used for non-agricultural purposes.