Evaluation of Soil Management Practices for Agriculture using TOPSIS Method

Abstract

Agricultural soil science is a subfield of soil science that focuses on the production of food and fiber in relation to soil conditions. It encompasses research in the realm of edaphic conditions, making it an integral part of agricultural departments. Historically, it was considered a distinct branch of soil science, known as edaphology. However, by 2006, it had merged with the broader field of soil science, particularly pedology, in both professional and popular contexts. Agricultural soil science delves into the chemical, physical, and biological aspects of soils as they pertain to agriculture. Soils exhibit variations in their chemical and physical properties due to factors such as climate, weather patterns, and microbial activities, leading to different soil types. Agricultural soil science follows a comprehensive approach that not only investigates the characteristics of soil but also considers the broader ecosystem and its sustainable management. This field scrutinizes soil chemistry, physics, biology, and mineral composition concerning agricultural applications, with a focus on enhancing crop productivity and dietary quality. Agricultural soil scientists address various concerns related to soil sustainability, such as soil erosion, compaction, fertility depletion, and contamination. They conduct research in areas like irrigation, drainage, tillage practices, soil classification, plant nutrition, and soil fertility. While maximizing crop and animal production is a fundamental goal, it is essential to be mindful of potential negative consequences, such as the impact of monoculture on crop diseases and the long-term effects of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on human health. To address these challenges, farmer-scientists employ an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from fields such as physics, chemistry, biology, meteorology, and geography to develop sustainable solutions. Techniques like TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) are used for multi-criteria decision analysis. In TOPSIS, the positive ideal solution (PIS) is determined by selecting the alternative with the shortest geometric distance from the ideal solution. This method assumes that an increase in criteria values is preferable. Normalization of parameters is often required in scaling problems, ensuring that criteria with varying dimensions are properly considered. Alternatives are evaluated based on characteristics such as clay content, sand content, silt content, peat content, chalk content, and loaminess. These criteria are then applied to evaluate preferences for elements like arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and mercury (Hg). The results of the evaluation indicate that peaty soil ranks the highest, while silty soil receives the lowest ranking.