Document Type : scientific research article
Authors
1
Department of Agronomy,Faculty of Plant Production, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
2
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Plant Production, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (GUASNR), Gorgan, Iran.
3
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Plant Production, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
4
Department of Soil Sciences, Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
10.22069/jopp.2026.24310.3314
Abstract
Research Aim: Identifying the potential and suitability of land for various agricultural uses is essential for conserving environmental resources and ensuring the sustainable production of crops. Such assessments play a critical role in achieving sustainable and comprehensive development, as neglecting fundamental land zoning can lead to significant economic and social losses. The present study was conducted in the Hezarjerib region of Behshahr County, Mazandaran Province, Iran.
Materials and Methods: In the first stage, the agro-ecological requirements of major crops cultivated in the region—wheat, barley, lentil, and rice—were determined and identified using scientific literature and documented sources. Subsequently, thematic maps were prepared for various variables, including annual rainfall, mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures, total sunshine hours, relative humidity, topographic parameters (elevation, slope percentage, and slope aspect), and soil characteristics (texture, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, lime, organic matter, electrical conductivity, and pH). Soil data were obtained through direct sampling at 128 points across farmlands and analyzed at the soil laboratory of Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Iran. To estimate and spatially generalize the studied variables across the region, geostatistical and classical interpolation techniques—such as ordinary kriging and inverse distance weighting (IDW)—were applied, using the lowest root mean square error (RMSE) as the selection criterion. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to assign weights to each environmental factor. Finally, the digital layers were integrated within a GIS environment to generate composite suitability maps for selected crops.
Findings: The results indicated that approximately 13.3% of the agricultural land in the region possesses very high suitability (S1) for wheat cultivation, primarily in the northwestern and central parts. The western areas showed particularly favorable conditions due to adequate rainfall, relative humidity, and balanced soil nutrient content. For barley, highly suitable areas covered 20.1% of the total land, mainly distributed in the northwestern and central zones. The land suitability analysis for lentil showed that 12.52% of the area in the northern part was classified as highly suitable. However, several areas in the northwest, center, and southwest were identified as moderately suitable or unsuitable, mainly due to limitations in organic matter content, low rainfall, and topographical constraints such as steep slopes.
Conclusion: For rice cultivation, only about 2.2% of the agricultural land exhibited high suitability, primarily located near the Nekaroud River, reflecting the crop’s high water requirements and dependency on specific hydrological conditions.
Keywords: Cropping pattern, Production potential, Geographic Information System (GIS), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)(AHP)
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