CROP SUITABILITY EVALUATION OF HIGH VALUE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN BARANGAY LADOL, ALABEL, SARANGANI PROVINCE

The study aimed to generate a crop suitability map of pineapple, tomato, bell pepper, and dragon fruit map in Barangay Ladol, Sarangani Province. The suitability evaluation was based on the following parameters: soil pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic matter, soil texture, temperature, annual rainfall, relative humidity, elevation, and slope. The crop suitability evaluation was interpreted through map generation using Quantum Geographic Information System software. Based on the different maps, most of the areas were highly suitable for the production of pineapple, tomato, bell pepper, and dragon fruit. Most areas had sufficient amounts of nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium, which are required for the plant. However, nitrogen was deficient in the area but it can be improved by adding fertilizer to it. At some point, the area is not suitable for growing the said crops in terms of soil texture because results show that clay and clay loam type of soil is not suited for the requirements. Hence, proper tillage can be an alternative way to pursue the production of the crops. Analytical Hierarchical Process was used to determine the relative importance of criteria and the resulting weights were used to construct the suitability maps/layers using QGIS software. For future study, the researcher recommends conducting the study annually since the nutrients and organic matter present in the soil may change due to different factors that can affect the quality of the soil. Hopefully, the results can be used by the local government to give farmers the information needed in planting the said crop.