A Land Suitability Study for the Sustainable Cultivation of the Halophyte Salicornia bigelovii: The Case of Abu Dhabi, UAE

A land suitability study covering an area of 56,655 square kilometers was carried out for the cultivation of a halophytic bioenergy crop, Salicornia bigelovii, in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi using data collected from an extensive soil survey (scale of 1:100,000). Two simple limitation methods (referred to in the paper as the conservative and weighted methods) were used to interpolate soil map unit data for qualitative evaluation of the land. Land suitability was assessed based on a set of criteria developed in accordance with specific plant requirements and two policy scenarios regarding the use of arable land for saline agriculture. Both methods showed similar suitability outcomes, but the weighted method using weighted averages of soil components within a soil map unit produced more realistic results that reflect on the inherent heterogeneous properties of Abu Dhabi soils. Up to 69% of the examined land is found to be moderately suitable for S. bigelovii cultivation but the most suitable areas are located on the coastal zone of Abu Dhabi, and the most limiting factors are predominantly soil salinity and drainage.