An AHP-TOPSIS Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for NitrogenFertilization Management in Watermelon Cultivation

Nitrogen fertilization management has a significant impact on the sustainability of agricultural production. To facilitate decision-making for watermelon producers—a key crop in Mediterranean countries—a multi-criteria analysis was employed. This study determines the optimal nitrogen fertilization rate by integrating economic, social, agronomic, and environmental factors. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to aggregate expert opinions on the importance of each criterion, revealing that economic and agronomic factors were the most critical. Subsequently, the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) identified a rate of 200 nitrogen units as the optimal choice. Ultimately, this methodology promotes the sustainability of watermelon production in Mediterranean environments by optimizing nitrogen management.