Land Suitability of Aq-Qala Township for Barley production in rainfed condition by Geographical Information System (GIS)

In this research, geographical information system (GIS) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) were applied to agricultural land use suitability of Aq-Qala township for barley cropping in rainfed condition. For this purpose, 17 environmental layers of the study area collected, and thematic maps such as slope, elevation, precipitation, average, minimum and maximum temperatures and some of micro and macro elements were provided. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was applied to determine the weight of environmental variables. The digital environmental layers overlaid and integrated in GIS media in respect to AHP weights. Then zoning of lands carried out in 4 classes (high suitable, suitable, semi-suitable and non-suitable) for dryland barley cultivation. The results showed that 27.5% and 32/1% of this area were high suitable and suitable for wheat cropping, respectively. These zones had enough rainfall (>400 mm), and high fertility. The semi-suitable and non-suitable regions were located in the central to north of Aq-Qala township. In this areas, the limitation factors were include: low precipitation, some soil variables such as: high pH and salinity, non-suitable texture classes, high potassium and calcium contents, low phosphate, iron, and organic matter) and non-suitable and slope aspects.