The agro-ecological capacity of north and central Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Iran, for canola cultivation determined by GIS and analytical hierarchical process

Identification of potential lands on the basis of their environmental benefits and constraints can greatly contribute to the stability of canola production in different parts of the world including Sistan-Baluchestan province, Iran. Accordingly, using GIS, the scores of environmental factors affecting canola production including temperature, rainfall, slope, altitude, organic matter, soil salinity, pH and soil nutrients (N, P, K, Fe and Zn) were integrated along with the weights of analytical hierarchical process (AHP) for the production of canola suitability maps. The zoning maps of climate, topography, and soil as well as the canola suitability maps and the current production maps of canola were prepared. According to the AHP results canola cultivation was affected the most by climate (rainfall and water sources) compared with topography and soil. ArcGIS results indicated southern lands of Zahedan had the highest organic matter, and excluding Hirmand, other parts of the area had appropriate salinity for canola production. The most appropriate areas in terms of acidity for canola production are Hirmand and the central part of Zahedan. In arable soil, the nitrogen level was not maximum in the region, and Nimrooz and Zabol had the highest phosphorus. Potassium was average in the research area, and Zabol, Zahak, Nimrooz and Hamoon had the highest Fe. The output maps obtained from the combination of various ecological factors indicated that the moderate and non-suitable classes of land for canola cultivation are located in the northern parts of Zahak, Hamon, Nimzoz and the total lands of Hirmand and Zabol.