Estimation of the Effect of Soil Salinity on Crop Yield Using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System

Authors: MEHMET ALİ ÇULLU

Abstract: This study was conducted to estimate the effect of salinity on crop yield by employing a geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing technologies. The saline soils of Arıcan village, located in the southeastern part of Harran Plain, were studied. Surface soil samples representing each soil series in the study area were collected and analyzed to generate an electrical conductivity (EC) map of the study area soils. Using ground truth information, satellite images were classified and land use classes were determined in the study area. The EC map, land use map, soil map and parcel map were combined and analyzed in GIS media to estimate the effect of salinity on crop yield. The results showed that increasing EC values up to 13.4 dS m^{-1} caused decreases in cotton and wheat yield of 29.6 % and 35.4 %, respectively. Increases in salinity above the threshold for cotton and wheat resulted in a linear decrease in crop yields. The results indicated that remote sensing and GIS techniques are useful tools for estimating the effects of soil salinity on crop production as shown for wheat and cotton in the present work.

Keywords: Remote Sensing, GIS, relative yield, crop yield, salinity, EC

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