Document Type : Research Article
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Abstract
Proper use of agricultural lands is essential because of fast growing population and water stress which occurs in arid and semi-arid regions. In this regards, land suitability evaluation and land production potential prediction are two important prerequisites for land use planning. This research was done to compare FAO and Wageningen models which were used in land production potential prediction for irrigated maize and to determine management level around Shahrekord city. For this purpose, first, radiation thermal production potential for irrigated maize was estimated, using FAO and Wageningen models. Then, land production potential was calculated by multiplication of soil index and radiation thermal production potential. Soil index, indicating the extent of soil limitations effective in production reduction, was calculated by the Storie and the second root formulaes. The potential, obtained by the FAO model is higher, compared with that calculated by Wageningen model. This difference is due to difference in calculation method and different forms of the models. The results showed that the land production potential is higher than the observed yield. Management level of the farmers is the origin of this difference. By using two methods, it was proved that management level in most of the land units is high. Determination coefficients of correlation analysis between land production potential and observed yield were obtained as 0.7383 and 0.7850, using FAO model, and as 0.7385 and 0.7775, using Wageningen model, respectively as Storie and second root formulas were used for calculation of soil index. This means that the land production potential and the observed yield have a significant correlation and accuracy of the used methods for estimation of land production potential is acceptable. Factors that increase the determination coefficient are discussed as well.
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