Comprehensive Evaluation of Cultivated Land Quality Based on GIS in Tumote Right Banner of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Abstract

It is one of important means to improve the cultivated land protection and management that the quality of cultivated land is evaluated synthetically in a county. The factors which influenced the quality of cultivated land were evaluated respectively in Tumote Right Banner of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region including soil nutrient status, physical and chemical properties of cultivated land, and site conditions. Evaluation units were produced by overlaying land use map and the soil map. By Delphi approach and cluster the evaluation factors were chosen and their weights were determined by AHP method. Cultivated land quality was divided into four grades by "natural breaks" in frequency distribution. This result showed as follow. Firstly, soil nutrient contents were higher in Tumote Right Banner than that in other adjacent Banners. 71.77 per cent of cultivated land was the first and second grades. Physical and chemical properties of soil and biotope were suitable for crops. The first grade was 59.90 per cent of the cultivated land. The second grade accounted for 94.22 per cent. In general, the quality level of cultivated land was high. The first grade, the second grade, the third grade and the fourth grade cultivated land area was seperately 8.17 per cent, 44.00 per cent, 43.48 per cent and 4.36 per cent, which was consistent with the actual outputs.