Soil Suitability Evaluation using Remotely Sensed Data and GIS – A Case Study from Semi-Arid Tropics of India

要旨

Soil resource inventorisation through the establishment of soil-physiography relationship after identification and delineation of seven physiographic units developed on three geological formations were done in Peruguda micro-watershed from semi arid tropics of Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh based on the satellite image characteristics identified through the visual interpretation of IRS 1C LISS-III fused with PAN data (1:12,500 scale). Based on the characteristics of soils developed on different physiographic units, the soils were evaluated for land capability classification and soil-site suitability of major crops for sustainable development of the micro-watershed through efficient soil and water conservation. The result revealed that the deep soils with high clay content in the mesa top mostly appears as dark blue to blackish blue tone in the satellite imagery are grouped under land capability class III and are moderately suitable for rain fed cotton and sorghum while the shallow to moderately deep soils of foot slopes which appear as dark to light blue and white mixed tone in the imagery are grouped under land capability class III to IV, are marginally suitable for cotton and marginally to presently unsuitable for sorghum. Only the soils of mesa shoulder, mesa side slopes and rocky ridges with dark to light blue, white and pink mixed tone and also dark blue with yellow and white tone mixed in the imagery are placed under land capability class VI to VII and are moderately suitable for pasture or silvipasture purposes.