Land Suitability Assessment for Apple (Malus domestica) Production in Sentele Watershed in Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Table 4

Land suitability criteria classification for apple cultivation [8, 9, 51].

Criteria	Unit	Land suitability classes
		S1	S2	S3	S4
Elevation	Meter a.s.l	2500–2700	2300–2500	2100–2300	2900–3100
Slope	%	0–8	8–18	18–28	28–40
Aspect	Direction	359–256	256–168	168–89	89-(-1)
GPT	°C	15–17	17–19	19–21	21–23
Mean temp	°C	9–11	11–14	14–16	16–18
Rainfall	Mm	1000–1200	1200–1300, 800–1000	1300–1400, <800	>1400
Soil depth	cm	150–200	100–150	70–100	<70
pH	-log (H^+)	6.0–6.5	5.7–6.0	5.6–5.7	<5.6
Drainage	%	Well-drained	Moderately drained
LULC	Type	Grassland	Agricultural land	Open land	Settlement
Soil texture	Texture	Loamy clay	Clay

m.a.s.l = meter above sea level; GPT = growth season temperature; LULC = land use/land cover.