Land Suitability Evaluation for Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L. cv Kabkob) Planting in Bousher province Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

One of the ways to identification of land production capacity and appropriate use choice with that is land evaluation performance. For this purpose must first climatic criteria and soil characteristics affecting the production to be identified. Also, considering to diversity and inequality in importance degree of criteria, ranking of them is essential. This research aim to identification, ranking of effective criteria in date production and land suitability evaluation for planting of Date palm cv Kabkob in Bousher province, using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) carried out.
At first, climatic subcriteria and soil physical and chemical characteristics affecting date production were identified by literature review and soil studies in studied area. Then, pairwise comparison matrix was made over analytical hierarchy process and the relative importance degree of these subcriteria was determined by excellent experts. In the weight calculation step, the approximation method was used to produce a relative weight of each of subcriteria. Then this subcriteria, based on their relative weight, ranked. Finally, land suitability evaluation for planting of date palm cv Kabkob in studied area of Bousher province, using AHP approach, carried out.
The result showed that the most important of climatic subcriteria affecting date palm production including to length of dry season, number of days with precipitation index > 5 mm/day in repining period, average daily temperature (°C) at vegetative cycle, flowering and repining stage, heat requirement sum during the period of flowering, fruit formation and repining period, mean RH during the vegetative cycle and fruit formation period, insulation mean (n) and number of months where the wind speed is > 5 m/s during vegetative cycle. Also the result of climatic subcriteria ranking by using AHP approach showed that, temperature mean in flowering stage and numbers of months of year with wind speed mean more than 5 m/s in vegetative cycle stage with relative weights 0.161 and 0.08 have the highest and the lowest importance degree, respectively. The result showed that the most important of soil physical and chemical characteristics affecting date palm production were identified by literature review and soil studies in studied area including to soil texture, calcium carbonate content, gypsum content, acidity, organic carbon, available potassium, soil salinity (EC) and alkalinity (SAR). Base on the result of soil subcriteria ranking, soil salinity (EC) and gypsum content with relative weights 0.27 and 0.041 have the highest and the lowest importance degree, respectively. Also the result of land suitability evaluation showed that 75 percents of studied area in Bousher Provence are very suitable and 25 percents are moderately suitable for planting of date palm cv Kabkob.
According to the results of this research, is recommended for suitable site selection for date palm planting to temperature mean in flowering stage and soil salinity, much attention and importance to be given.