Combining Fuzzy, Multicriteria and Mapping Techniques to Assess Soil Fertility for Agricultural Development: A Case Study of Firozabad District, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Soil fertility (SF) assessment is an important strategy for identifying agriculturally productive lands, particularly in areas that are vulnerable to climate change. This research focuses on detecting SF zones in Firozabad district, Uttar Pradesh, India, for agricultural purposes, so that they can be prioritized for future management using the fuzzy technique in the Arc GIS model-builder. The model computing technique was also deployed to determine the different fertility zones, considering 17 soil parameters. The derived fuzzy technique outperformed the traditional method of dividing the sampling sites into clusters to correlate soil fertility classes with the studied soil samples. The prioritization of the soil factors and a spatial analysis of the fertility areas were carried out using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and GIS tools, respectively. The AHP analysis outcome indicated that hydraulic properties had the highest weighted value, followed by physical and chemical properties, regarding their influence on SF. The spatial distribution map of physico-chemical properties also clearly depicts the standard classification. A fuzzy priority map was implemented based on all the classes parameters to identify the five fertility classes of the soil, namely very high (0.05%); high (16.59%); medium (60.94%); low (22.34%); and very low (0.07% of total area). This study will be of significant value to planners and policymakers in the future planning and development of activities and schemes that aim to solve similar problems across the country.

Management of soil cover and tillage regimes in upland rice-sweet corn systems for better system performance, energy use and carbon footprints

“…Sustainable agriculture requires careful control of soil cover and soil disturbance since these practices directly impact productivity, soil health, and environmental sustainability [ [5] , [6] , [7] ]. Rice is the main crop crucial for food security and rural livelihoods in the lower Gangetic Plains, a sizable portion of India's Indo-Gangetic Plains [ 8 , 9 ]. Labour availability for rice transplanting has been there as a persistent problem and increasing wages and decreasing the timely availability of labourers can be a major driving force for the gradual shift to direct seeded rice (DSR) in the region.…”

Synthesis and Characterization of Chitosan Encapsulated Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and its Application in Maize under Zinc Deficit Soil

“…It assists plants in overcoming biotic and abiotic stresses by participating in many physiological processes, including resistance to pathogens, drought, or heat [9]. Despite the presence of adequate quantities of zinc in the majority of soils, its absorption may be hindered by various chemical and physicochemical factors within the soil [10][11][12]. Zinc, on the other hand, is the most commonly deficient trace element in agriculture, and a deficit can result in a 40% loss in crop productivity [13,14].…”