Identifying suitable areas for Table Grape cultivation in Boukan Using GIS

Land provision and proper use of data from natural resources according to their environmental characteristics, is an important principle for sustainable development. In this regard and inorder to find the suitable areas for table grape cultivation in Boukan, the present study was conducted. The research was carried out as a descriptive-exploratory design and library collected data. For this, fourteen natural variables affecting growth of grapes including elevation, slope direction, aspect, soil attributes, geology, land type, evapotranspiration rate, wind speed, relative humidity, winter temperatures, precipitation, minimum and maximum daily temperatures and average were extracted, based on the basic maps of 1:50,000 scale. These factors were ranked and prioritized by AHP method. Finally, GIS and other related softwares were used to identify the appropriate areas for table grape cultivation in Boukan lands. Results of the study showed that approximately 30.5% of the County''s area has very good and favorable contitions, having the first and second priorities, respectively, which are geographically located in northern and northwestern parts of the Boukan County. Planting table grapes in the rest of the areas (including southern, eastern and central regions) of about 65.5%, is not recommended due to inappropriate water, air and soil conditions.