IMPROVING SOIL SALINITY PREDICTION IN SEMI-ARID AREAS USING MACHINE LEARNING MODELS

AbdElaziz, Ahmed E.A.; Soliman, K.G.; Abdel Hamed, E.M.W.; Metwally, M.S.; Abu-Hashim, M.S.D.

doi:10.21608/zjar.2024.367205

IMPROVING SOIL SALINITY PREDICTION IN SEMI-ARID AREAS USING MACHINE LEARNING MODELS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Soil Sci. Dept., Fac. Agric., Zagazig Univ., Egypt

10.21608/zjar.2024.367205

Abstract

This study addresses the pressing issue of soil salinization in the agriculturally vital Nile Delta region, which poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity and food security. Conventional methods for assessing soil salinity often lack the speed required for timely decision-making to effectively mitigate salinity in these lands, highlighting the need for advanced techniques. Harnessing the power of machine learning algorithms, this research endeavors to develop robust predictive models for soil salinity in the East Nile Delta (portsaid). Three state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms: Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Random Forest (RF), were rigorously applied using a comprehensive dataset derived from 60 soil samples collected across the region (PortSaid Government). The models underwent meticulous training and validation processes, incorporating cross-validation techniques and stringent performance evaluation metrics, including Mean Squared Error (MSE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), and R². The results unequivocally demonstrated the superior performance of SVM, achieving remarkable values of 0.008dS/m for MSE, 0.087dS/m for RMSE, 0.009 dS/m for MAPE, 0.069dS/m for MAE and 0.99 for R² during the training phase, further corroborated by an 0.004dS/m for MSE, 0.062dS/m for RMSE, 0.006dS/m for MAPE, 0.046dS/m for MAE and 1 for R² during the validation stage. This study elucidates the immense potential of machine learning techniques in accurately predicting soil salinity, paving the way for proactive management strategies and sustainable crop production practices in the pivotal Nile Delta region, thus enhancing sustainable crop production and agricultural management.

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