GIS and Remote Sensing Based Fertilizer Suitability Mapping for Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) at Lume Micro Watershed, Central Ethiopia
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Date
2012-03
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Addis Ababa Universty
Abstract
Fertilizer suitability mapping is the way of determining fertilizer demanded by specific crop type on the basis of soil sample testing results. It is a very important method for modern precision agriculture to increase fertilizer use efficiency and environmental friendliness. Hence, in order to make efficient fertilizer application for wheat at Lume Micro Watershed, the study tried to map the plant macro nutrients, physical land suitability map and diammonium phosphate (DAP) suitability map for wheat. Starting from soil sample collection, laboratory analysis, spatial interpretation and mapping, standard analysis methods and GIS and remote sensing tools were used. The soil factors (drainage, depth, texture, pH, organic carbon, and phosphorus), temperature, rainfall, slope, elevation and land use/cover were considered in land suitability evaluation for wheat. In addition multi criteria evaluation was also used to generate values of relative influence for each factor of the objective. The diammonium phosphate suitability map was made by determining phosphorus critical level for wheat in the reference to initial soil phosphorus level in the soil. Finally by applying Krignig interpolation diammonium phosphate suitability was mapped for wheat. The potassium level in the study site is about 221.53 to372.11ppm.Total nitrogen and organic carbon are used as indicators of nitrogen in soil which is very low in the study area. The available phosphorus level in the study area ranges from very low, low, moderate to high level which demand variable rates of fertilizer requirement application. Initial land suitability for wheat is 9.45% highly suitable, 85.8% moderately suitable, 3.21% marginally suitable and 1.54% permanently not suitable. The diammonium phosphate requirement map of the area reveals that about 51.38%, 20.25%, 18.40% and 8.43% need 50 to75 kg/ha, 75 to 100kg/ha, 25 to 50kg/ha and greater than 100kg/ha respectively. The results are further verified by using soil sample points and their available soil phosphorus compared to diammonium phosphate suitability map and initial wheat suitability map. The validation revealed that the result is in good conformity with the actual soil available phosphorus.
Keywords: Diammonium phosphate, Fertilizer requirement, GIS and Remote Sensing, Land suitability, plant macronutrient, Multi criteria evaluation and Wheat
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Keywords
Diammonium phosphate, Fertilizer requirement, GIS and Remote Sensing, Land suitability, plant macronutrient, Multi criteria evaluation and Wheat