A spatial analysis of environmental factors affecting soil characteristics

Authors

  • Safaa M. Almudhafar, Kamil Hamza Fleifel Al-Assadi

Abstract

The soil of the study area is represented by three types, which are the soils of river banks,
soils of rivers, marshes and swamps, but all these types are greatly affected by environmental factors,
whether they are natural factors or human factors, as the soil is one of the main components of the
environment on which humans, plants and animals live so the soil is an important source for living
organisms. The soil of the study area is an important agricultural soil in the province of Najaf. Where
many important crops are grown, as well as crops of vegetables and fruits, but the soil of the study
area was affected by natural and human factors, which led to a significant deterioration in its
characteristics and make most of its lands unfit for cultivation and with high concentrations of chemical
elements and compounds. Natural factors affecting the study area were represented by climate
elements and soil and water resources and natural plant characteristics. As for human factors, they
were represented by different human activities in terms of throwing household waste into soils, random
housing or increasing units housing in agricultural lands with weak municipal services. In addition to
agricultural expansion and not following agricultural cycles and the use of fertilizers and pesticides
with more than one plant need. As well as the wrong and traditional irrigation methods and the
incorrect drainage method or the use of drainage water in irrigation are all factors that greatly affected
the soil characteristics of the study area, which led to high concentrations of total dissolved salts,
sodium magnesium, calcium, potassium sulfate and chlorine nitrate, especially in the cultivated and
uncultivated basin soils and marshes and swamps and this rise in concentrations was higher than the
international standard compared to the soils of river banks that were within the permissible limits.

Published

2020-10-16

Issue

Section

Articles