DEVELOPMENT OF PLANT-BASED LAND SUITABILITY MODEL FOR WHEAT IN SEMI-ARID CONDITIONS AND VALIDATION WITH YIELD VALUES

In this study, a land suitability model was generated specifically for arid-semiarid climate conditions using the hybrid system approach with Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) integration for wheat. The study was carried out in 11 soil series and 92 land units at the Konya-Konuklar Agricultural Enterprise, covering an area of 4060 ha and representing a continental climate. For the suitability model, 20 parameters affecting plant development were selected and grouped as: (i) land indicators – depth, slope, stoniness, and drainage; (ii) physical indicators – available water content (AW), bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, and texture; (iii) chemical indicators – electrical conductivity, pH, organic matter, and CaCO₃; and (iv) nutrient indicators – P, K, mineral nitrogen, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, and B. These were divided into factors according to their degree of effect. The success of the model was tested using long-term average yield values representing the soil series under dry conditions, and a 75% statistical correlation was determined. As a result of the study, a novel contribution was made to this field through a plant-based evaluation approach that can be applied by decision makers, and it was suggested that the developed model could be preferred for determining suitable lands for wheat cultivation in regions with similar climates. Additionally, the study evaluated that GIS-AHP integration can be used to determine the agricultural suitability of different crop varieties specific to the region.