Abstract
Crop selections and rotations are very important in optimising land and labour productivities, enhancing higher cropping intensities, producing better crop yield. A land suitability analysis system based on the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique coupled with the Geographic Information System (GIS) software environment can be a unique tool for better crop selection. The AHP-GIS technique was used in land suitability analysis in crop rotation decisions, for rice-jute (Kharif season) and potato-lentil (Rabi season) crops in the Hooghly District, West Bengal, India. The study area covering 291 ha was classified based on eight major soil nutrient levels with 70 randomly selected plots for soil sampling and analysis. The soil nutrient variability was examined with descriptive statistics followed by best semivariogram-based model selection for kriging interpolation in the ‘R’ software environment. The pairwise comparison matrix based ranking of parameters and giving weights was carried out considering the importance of each parameter for specific crops. The total area, being under the major rice-potato belt, could be classified from the suitability view point to the ‘highly suitable’(S1) class occupying 29.2%, and ‘not suitable’ (N) class; 4.5% for rice, about 6.5% of land is ‘highly suitable’ (S1), ‘and nearly 2.1% area is ‘not suitable’ (N) for jute; and 21.3% is ‘highly suitable’ (S1) for potato and 12.4% for lentil crops. The yield maps showed nearly 75% and 90% of the area for rice and potato crops, respectively, gave sound crop yield. Furthermore, the GIS platform was used for crop rotation analysis to spread multiple seasons ensuring better crop management in long run. Overall, 25% of the rice crop area for jute in Kharif and 8% of potato crop area for lentil in the Rabi season were recommended as replacements.
Highlights
Achieving agricultural sustainability has been given the highest priority in both developed and developing nations. It can be attained through studying cropping system analysis (CSA), which is defined as the cropping pattern and its management to derive maximum benefits from the given resources under specific environmental conditions
We explored the major crop rotations/systems for Kharif and Rabi seasons by carrying out agricultural land-use suitability assessment for rice-jute and potato-lentil crops using analytical hierarchy process (AHP)-Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques in West Bengal, India
Land suitability evaluation is a powerful tool to support decision-making in land-use planning; it deals with the assessment of the response of land when used for specified purposes
Summary
Achieving agricultural sustainability has been given the highest priority in both developed and developing nations. It can be attained through studying cropping system analysis (CSA), which is defined as the cropping pattern and its management to derive maximum benefits from the given resources under specific environmental conditions. West Bengal produced 16.2 million tons of rice, which is highest among the Indian states [1]. The potato production was enhanced by 22% in 2016–2017 which causes low market price [3]. The profit margin was continuously reduced with a high cost of “Jalandhar” based seed producing low export-quality potatoes [4]. The farmers are stressed with low profit margins from their farmland. There is an immediate need for a land suitability study to decide the best crop rotation for farmland in the region
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