A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1996

Land is the basis of life on earth. Like any other natural resources, it is also limited. Irrational use of land causes the land degradation. For a sustained level of production from any kind of land use, land has to be evaluated for its suitability to that particular type of land use, based on the existing level of available resources and the management. The study area Phatthana Nikhom sub district in Phatthana Nikhom district of Lop Buri Province in Thailand, is a rainfed area. The total and the seasonal distribution of rainfall is high. Lack of water is the most limiting factor for agriculture production in the study area. In addition to that, labour shortage and depleting soil fertility are also important problem. Based on the resources, soil and the weather, the suitability analysis for different prevailing and some new crops were assessed for the area for suggesting improved land use plan. This is mainly based on the methodology suggested by FAO 1976 and 1993. Use of crop model, DSSAT3, was also made to evaluate the existing soil and weather and finally to develop new technology suitable for the area. Rainfall, that influence the agricultural planning, was used in the study in detail for its better and proper utilization for improved crop production purpose. Research efforts need to be made in developing new technology that suits to the limited water availability condition and make proper use of rainfall in the study area. Development of crop varieties and technologies that serves best for minimum labour requirement and help improve to restore the soil fertility is of utmost essential.