Survey, Classification and Geoinformatics Analysis of Soil Parameters, in Shahrazoor District, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

The study, conducted in Sulaimani City, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, employed Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to analyze and group 25 soil samples based on their chemical and physical properties. During the study area survey, soil samples were taken systematically in order to assess important parameters governing soil fertility and degradation. PCA grouped the samples into four groups, of which Classes 1 and 2 were moderately diverse, while Classes 3 and 4 exhibited higher variation in soil content. AHC also confirmed the clustering, which had three large groups with variations in within-class variation, centroid distance, and spatial spread, evidencing the soil property heterogeneity of the region. Organic matter content analysis revealed a range of 0.6% to 2.3%, with lower contents indicating degradation due to intensive agriculture and higher contents indicating good soil fertility and structure. Total lime content varied widely and was high for some, like S12 (27.5%) and S17 (25%), with high alkalinity, and this influences the availability of nutrients. Electrical conductivity (EC) readings were consistently low (0.10 to 0.26 dS m-1), verifying the absence of a salinity problem with plant growth. Soil pH varied from 7.15 to 8.27, typically between alkaline to neutral levels, with higher pH being more linked to increased lime content. Correlation analysis revealed weak positive correlations between soil organic matter, lime content, and pH, suggesting complex interactions among these variables. The spatial mapping of soil properties provided valuable information on soil heterogeneity and enabled the possibility of having a better understanding of the variation in soil parameters across the study area. The research demonstrates the great variability of soil properties and highlights the significance of certain soil management practices for improving fertility as well as enhancing sustainable agricultural systems within the region.