Fuzzy logic techniques applied to a switchgrass ecological site suitability model for the state of Mississippi

Fuzzy logic provides a natural way of dealing with models that require the modeler or user to interpret linguistic variables in order to make a decision. This study focuses on employing fuzzy logic methodologies in order to create an Alamo switchgrass ecological site suitability map for the state of Mississippi. The inputs in the model are available water content (AWC), slope, pH, drainage, color, and texture. All variables were examined through the fist six inches (15cm) of soil. These six variables were assigned fuzzy restrictions based on expert knowledge from plant and soil scientists, combined using the fuzzy additive weighting method, then defuzzified using the center of gravity approach. The result of the final model is a switchgrass ecological site suitability model that uses expert knowledge and classifies sites into five linguistic categories.