AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONATION ASSESSMENT FOR SIMULTANEOUS PLANTING OF SUNFLOWER, AND BERSEEM COVER CROP IN GALUGAH COUNTY FARMLANDS, MAZANDARAN PROVINCE, IRAN.

Given the beneficial effects of cover crops, their planting is a good way to improve soil fertility, reduce soil erosion, effectively control weeds, etc. some ecological variables were selected for sunflower and berseem clover land suitability assessment, and thematic maps were developed for each of the parameters in Geographic Information System (GIS). Finally, highly suitable, suitable, moderately suitable and unsuitable areas were detected by analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The findings indicated that the ordinary kriging interpolation model was the best model to evaluate the agricultural land suitability assessment for sunflower and berseem clover production in the region. Also, the climatic variables had a major role in the development of sunflower and berseem cultivation, and soil and topography variables ranked next. The final land suitability map revealed that the most highly suitable areas (3358.4 ha) were located in the north of the region, and the rest was suitable (15257 ha) areas for growing sunflower. Also, northwest and very limited areas from the northeast and southeast of the region showed highly suitable conditions (3534.4 ha), and other areas had suitable (15081 ha) condition in cultivation of berseem clover. Therefore, almost areas were suitable for it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]