Assessment of Physical Suitability of Soils for Vegetable Production in the Libga Irrigation Scheme, Northern Region, Ghana Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Weighted Overlay Analysis

Yazarlar

  • Yakubu Saaka Zakaria Department of Agricultural Mechanisation and Irrigation Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies (UDS), Nyankpala Campus https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4213-1418
  • Abdul-Ganiyu Shaibu Department of Agricultural Engineering, School of Engineering, University for Development Studies (UDS), Nyankpala Campus http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6431-8083
  • Bernard N Baatuuwie Department of Geo-Information Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, University for Development Studies (UDS), Nyankpala Campus http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8100-0122

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v10i8.1395-1403.5004

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Analytic hierarchy process- weighted overlay analysis- soil suitability analysis- vegetables- irrigation

Özet

Assessing the suitability of soils for agricultural production is critical in promoting sustainable agriculture. Knowledge gained from soil suitability analysis provides the sound basis for making informed decisions about soil management and crop selection in a given area. In view of this, this study was carried out to assess the physical suitability of soils in the Libga Irrigation Scheme for the sustainable cultivation of jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius), tomato (Solanum lycoperscum L.) and cabbage (Brassica oleracea var capitata). Soil samples were collected at 0–30 cm and 30–60 cm depths from 50 geo-referenced points located at the nodes of a 100 m × 100 m regular grid. Particle size distribution, bulk density, total porosity, field capacity, permanent wilting point, available water capacity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, electrical conductivity and pH were determined following standard laboratory protocols at the AGSSIP Laboratory of the University for Development Studies, Nyankpala campus, Ghana. Weighting of soil properties was achieved through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Soil suitability maps for the selected crops were produced using weighted overlay analysis in ArcGIS (10.5). The results showed that generally about 44.3 ha (76.4 %), 44.7 ha (82.2 %) and 55.7 ha (96.0 %) of the irrigation field are moderately suitable for jute mallow, tomato and cabbage production respectively. The major limiting factors for the crops were high BD and acidity levels. The AHP proved to be a very useful tool for the incorporation of farmers‘ views into decision making about the suitability of soils for crop production.

Yayınlanmış

2022-08-22

Nasıl Atıf Yapılır

Zakaria, Y. S., Shaibu, A.-G., & Baatuuwie, B. N. (2022). Assessment of Physical Suitability of Soils for Vegetable Production in the Libga Irrigation Scheme, Northern Region, Ghana Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Weighted Overlay Analysis. Türk Tarım - Gıda Bilim Ve Teknoloji Dergisi, 10(8), 1395–1403. https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v10i8.1395-1403.5004

Sayı

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Araştırma Makalesi