A comparative assessment of land suitability evaluation methods for agricultural land use planning at village level

Defining the relationship between soil characteristics and crop requirements must be the first step in planning future agriculture land use. The aim of the present study is to identify the constraints and potentials of major soils in a block of Telangana, India and evaluate them for crop suitability and propose agricultural land use plans (ALUP) at village level. Using IRS P6 LISS IV, Cartosat-I and DEM data, we identified and mapped six soil series through detailed soil survey. Soils varied in depth (< 25 to > 150 cm), texture, water holding capacity, hydraulic conductivity, pH, organic carbon and other inherent properties. We compared parametric, Stone index and multi-criteria land suitability evaluation (MC-LSE) methods for evaluating land suitability for pigeon pea, maize, cotton, groundnut and rice. The land suitability index (LSI) by the three methods varied for three soil series, but for one series, the methods produced similar results for cotton, maize and pigeon pea. The correlation of LSI with crop yield showed that MC-LSE performed better than other two methods. After analysing the LSE results, existing cropping pattern, potential and adaptability of alternate options through participatory interaction with farmers, ALUP for 19 villages of the study area were developed. Moreover, we also discuss the challenges and opportunities in proposing and implementing ALUP in India. The results of the present study will be helpful for farm managers for making the best use of soils based on their suitability. However, to demonstrate the applicability, practicability, and most importantly, the sustainability of proposed ALUP, coordinated implementation strategies are necessary.