Study of land use effects on soil quality indicators leads to sustainable management and preventing progressive land degradation. The TM (1987) and ETM+ (2000 and 2005) data were used to study land use change effects in Mahan-Joopar area on soil quality indicators. Fifty random soil samples from 0-30 cm depth of each land use were taken using provided maps. Organic matter, microbial respiration potential, bulk density, pH, EC, and soil texture were investigated as soil quality indicators. Eight land uses including fruit orchards, woodlands, pistachio orchards, cultivated, barren, bare land, fallowed, and haloxylone land were detected. Results showed overall accuracies of 89.4, 95.2, and 91.7 % with kappa coefficients of 85, 92, and 88% for maps provided in 1987, 2000, and 2005, respectively. Generally, the investigated quality indicators showed that woodlands, fruit orchards, cultivated land, and pistachio orchards enhanced soil quality better than other land uses.

Keywords: Remote sensing, Soil quality, Land use/cover.

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