EXPANDED PROGRAM OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE No. Report to the Government of SYRIA CLASSIFICATION AND RATIONAL UTILIZATION OF SOILS FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS ROME, 1965 5Y !3é5.o\ Report No. 2075 REPORT TO THE GOVERNMENT OF SYRIA ON THE CLASSIFICATION AND RATIONAL UTILIZATION OF SOILS by W. J. van Liere FAO Technical Assistance Soil Scientist FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 1965 Scanned from original by ISRIC - World Soil Information, as ICSU 26601/C World Data Centre for Soils. The purpose is to make a safe depository for endangered documents and to make the accrued information available for consultation, following Fair Use Guidelines. Every effort is taken to respect Copyright of the materials within the archives where the identification of the Copyright holder is clear and, where feasible, to contact the originators. For questions please contact [email protected] indicating the item reference number concerned. INTRODUCTION In 1950, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was requested by the Government of Syria to provide the services of "a soil scientist with experience in arid and semi- arid regions with a view to organizing a service for the classification and rational utilization of soils" under the Technical Assistance Program. In accordance with this request, the writer, a soil scientist from the Netherlands, was appointed in October 1951 and, after briefing at FAO Headquarters in Rome, arrived at his duty station, Damascus, on 4 November 1951. Discussions with the Secretary-General of Agriculture and other officials of the Ministry of Agriculture on how to apply the terms of reference to the assignment soon made it clear that the problem of soil research and rational utilization of soils in Syria was much more complex than had been anticipated. In 1951 there were no graduates in soils and almost nothing was known about the Syrian soils. Thus, to bring the assignment to a satisfactory conclusion, it was found necessary to establish both a training program and a research program. For the application of soil information it was necessary to be able to give advice on a variety of soil and land use problems to the interested Government Departments. The expert worked for 7 years in the Ministry of Agriculture, mainly on soil surveys, training of surveyors, utilization of State Domain lands and general soil and land use studies. Meanwhile, the Government of Syria had launched an accelerated program of irrigation projects to be executed by a special organization called the Administration of Major Projects. To this organization the expert was attached for three years as from November 1958, though his services remained available to the Ministry of Agriculture. During this period the irrigation projects of Ghab-Acharne, Senn, Upper Orontes, Mzerib-Zeizoun, Khatounie and parts of the Khabour and Euphrates were surveyed. From the Administration of Major Projects emerged, in November 1961, an independent organization known as the Euphrates Project Authority. Under the new Authority, the expert continued both to investigate soils and land use problems related to this Project and to advise the Director General on its planning. This period can be sud-divided into three parts as far as United Nations programming is concerned. November 1961 - June 1963 under EPTA according to the original terms of reference; July 1963 - December 1963 under Funds-in-Trust as agricultural adviser to the Director General of the Euphrates Project Authority; January 1964 - 30 September 1964 again under EPTA as soil scientist (soil chemistry). The present report is a summary of the expert's efforts during this assignment, which was for EPTA unusually complex and long-term. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks are due to the former Secretaries-General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Amin Nazif and Mr. Akram El-Ricaby; to the former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Jamil Mualla; to the former President of the Board and Director-General of the Administration of Major Projects, Mr. Abdul Basset Khatib; and to the President of the Board and Director-General of the Euphrates Project Authority, Mr. Noureddeen Kanäle. The following gentlemen worked with the expert as trainees, surveyors or scientists; their names are given in chronological order: - In the Ministry of Agriculture - Mr. Issa Moussly, . - 2 - Dr. Taher Khalife, Mr. Bechir al Aass, Mr. Teisir al Zaobi, Mr. Akram Kadri, Mr. Ismail al Jisri, Mr. Maurice Elias, Mr. Nazir Saraqbi, Mr. George Barakat, Dr. Abdul Hamid Mansour, Mr. Abdul Hamid Raslan; in the Administration of Major Projects and the Euphrates Project Authority - Mr. Maamoun Samman, Mr. Ibrahim Tourna, Mr. Walid Mansouri, Mr. Heitham al Ajlani, and Mr. Abdallah al Misri. The expert wishes sincerely to thank them, as well as the technicians and draughtsmen, all of whom were indispensable for executing the survey work. - 1X1 - CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 SUMMARY OF THE ASSIGNMENT 3 STATEMENT ON "THE SOILS OF SYRIA, THEIR UTILIZATION AND POTENTIALITIES" 9 REPORTS IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE :- 15 1. Survey of the Soil, Present Land Use and Land Capabilities of the Jezireh 17 2. Soil Associations of the Basin of Damascus and its Surroundings 61 3. Clay Minerals in Syrian Soils 81 4. Extracts from a Few Interim and Other Reports Written During 1953-1954 87 (a) Irrigated Soils in Syria 89 (b) Some Aspects of Water Requirements of Crops on Different Soils in Syria 95 (c) Surplus and Subsistence Farming Districts in Syria 98 (d) Land Use and Misuse in Syrian Agriculture 100 REPORTS IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF MAJOR PROJECTS :- 103 1. 'Ain Al Naour Region (Al Ghab): Miscellaneous Soil Problems Regarding the Irrigation and Drainage of the Area 105 2. Mzerib - Tell Chehab - Zeizoun: Soil Survey and Appraisal of Irrigability 115 3. The Coastal Region: 1. Soil Survey and Irrigability of the Nahr al Kebir Valley. 2. Suitability of the Coastal Plains for Citrus Crops 123 4. Upper Orontes Plain: Soil Survey and Appraisal of Irrigability 135 5. Survey of Gully Erosion in the Coastal Hills, Jabal Al Akrad and Harim Regions 145 - 3 - SUMMARY OF THE ASSIGNMENT A. SOILS WORK IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE From the beginning, two tasks in the field of soils seemed to have a prime importance: (a) to determine the level of soil fertility and its governing factors; and (b) to determine the Great Soil Groups in Syria and to describe their general land use pattern. For the first task it was decided to have a number of fertilizer field trials on cotton in areas where no chemical fertilizers were then in use. Five tons of fertilizer (phosphate and nitrogen) were obtained from the fertilizer industry, distributed to progressive and interested farmers and applied according to practices common in Egypt. The results were disappointing. There appeared to be no relationship at all between the chemical composition of the soil as determined in the laboratory and the response to fertilizers. Soil structure, moisture availability, general farm management, in addition to socio-economic factors, interfered in such a predominant way that it was quickly realized that this problem was far too complex to be solved only by a major research program. We still know far too little about the application of chemical fertilizers in the sub-tropics to be able to give tangible advice. Before the demonstrations can start, a large amount of basic research will be needed. This task was, therefore, abandoned. It remained entirely abandoned for a number of years, until the Directorate of Soils returned to it in collaboration with a FFHC program. A soil map at a scale of 1:100,000 showing the Great Soil Groups of Syria was prepared in 1953 following an overall survey of the country which occupied one full year. This map, subsequently improved in three editions, has been superseded by the soil map at a scale of 1:500,000, arrangements for the publication of which are now being made separately by the Syrian Government. " After the completion of the Great Soil Group survey, general surveys for training purposes were made of the Damascus Basin and the Hauran, the wheat plains south of Damascus. Even before completion of the Great Soil Groups survey, the need had been felt for more detailed field work. Decree No. 768, issued on 3 November 1952, called for the creation of villages of farmers on non-cultivated State Lands in the province of Hassikki. It became necessary to have a land classification as well as a land use survey of all the areas involved. The survey required a high degree of precision and was quite impossible without adequate air survey. This was done in 1953 on a scale 1: 20,000 and controlled mosaics on the same scale were made. The land classification was to be very simple; of the cultivable land, three land classes - wheat land, barley land and marginal land - were indicated, together with the irrigations, forests and pastures. The studies continued for three years and covered 2. 2 million hectares. Their general results are summarized in a report entitled "Soil, Land Use and Land Settlement in the Jezireh". On the spot the land use maps were used by the legal department in Hassikki, which accepted the boundaries as legal proof in disputes on ownership. The land classification maps were used by the Department of Land Surveys for the settlement and delimination of villages. Meanwhile a soils section was formed in the Ministry of Agriculture. Although most of the training was done in the field, a total of 10 fellowships were given in the course of the years One fellow obtained a full training in photogrammetry, and another a master's degree in soil chemistry. After several reorganizations in the Ministry of Agriculture, this section was developed and became the Directorate of Soils and Chemical Laboratories.