General description
The Hassi Ben Abdallah farm in the Ouargla basin is one of ITDAS demonstration and seed production farms.
The farm is located at 30 km east of the city of Ouargla, in an oasis, in the southeastern sector of the Hassi Ben Abdallah palm grove. It is located at an altitude of 156 meters at 32°0’24.46” N latitude, longitude 5°28’48.66” E. It covers an area of 21 ha. It was created from drilling in the Albian aquifer.
The Ouargla site is the third study site with an oasis ecosystem representative of many palm groves in the region.
Climatic context
Warm sirocco winds and sandstorms cause a greenhouse effect through the dust they raise. These contribute to the drying out of the climate, requiring the use of irrigation. The dominant climate in Ouargla is Saharan. During the year, there is practically no rainfall. The average temperature in Ouargla is 22.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 39 mm.
With an average of 10 mm of rain, January is the month with the highest rainfall. June, July and August are the driest months with average rainfall close to 0 mm.
Monthly average temperatures between 1999 and 2019 are above 20 °C from April to October. The highest monthly average temperature is recorded in July (35.2 °C) and the lowest in January (10.5 °C).
The average maximum temperature varies from 16.3 °C in January to 41.7 °C in July; the average minimum temperature varies from 5.1 °C in January to 27.4 °C in July.
The average monthly atmospheric humidity between 1999 and 2019 in Ouargla is characterized by low values, around 32.9%. The maximum humidity is recorded during the month of December with 57% and the lowest in July with 17%.
Edaphic context
The soil at this study site is a predominantly sandy, highly alkaline and has low salinity. This soil is moderately calcareous and slightly gypseous according to the classification of Baize, 2000.