Agroecological zoning of agricultural lands in Golestan province for canola cultivation by Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

In order to agroecological zoning of current agricultural lands in Golestan province for canola cultivation, Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) were used to match the environmental requirements of crop and the land characteristics. The first, agroecological requirements of canola was identify from scientific resources then classified and needed thematic maps were provided. The classification of layers carried out by simple limitation approach. The digital environmental layers overlaid and integration in GIS media then zoning of lands was done in 4 classes of high suitable until non-suitable. The results showed that 21.31 and 35.04% of the area were high suitable and suitable for canola crop, respectively. These zones had enough rainfall (400-500 mm) and high fertility. The less suitable and non-suitable regions are located in the north and northeast parts of Golestan province. In these areas, the limitation factors were including: high EC, low precipitation, deficient nutrition elements and low water resources.