A Geospatial approach to Land capability assessment in arid regions: Integration of Storie Index, geographic information systems, and Analytical Hierarchy Process techniques

Abstract

There is a need for new rapid, cost-effective and eco-friendly techniques for land capability evaluation in order to achieve better land management and agricultural production. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the land capability of some soils in the Sohag Governorate, Egypt, utilizing the Storie Index, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and spatial modeling techniques on the basis of some soil properties such as slope, profile depth, texture, gravels, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). To achieve that, thirty-two soil profiles (117 soil samples) represented the study area, whereas drilled, sampled, analyzed; and evaluated for their capability using Storie index and Spatial Model for Land Capability (SMLC). The AHP was used to prioritize and integrate numerous factors influencing land capability, whereas texture, SAR and EC were identified as controlling parameters of land capability. Moreover, the obtained outputs were used for generating spatial variability distribution maps using geo-statistical interpolation method. The results revealed that the studied area's land was under three capability grades (excellent, good, and fair). According to Storie Index, Eleven soil profiles representing about 11.11 % (12.35 km²) of the investigated area were classified under grade 1 (excellent), while 87.44 % (97.18 km²) of the studied area were categorized under grade 2 (good) that represent by twenty soil profiles, and only one profile under grade 3 (fair), which represented about 1.45 % (1.61 km²) of the area under investigation. According to SMLC, the studied area was classified to two capability classes; Good (Grade 2) and Fair (Grade 3) which represent 65.57 % (72.88 km²) and 34.43 % (38.27 km²) of the study area, respectively. This research contributes to the advancement of land capability assessment and provides a practical approach for similar studies in other regions.