Abstract
This study attempts to examine the relationship between soil salinity and physico-chemical properties of paddy field soils of Jhilwanja union in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Data were analyzed by the help of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS: version-18) and study area map was prepared by Arc GIS 9.3 software. Present investigation reveals that soil textural class ranged from sandy to loam, a mean bulk density 1.58 g/cm3, and high soil temperature (M = 31.55). Soils were moderately acidic to basic and soil salinity (EC) content comes under low to medium (minimum = 3.10 dS/m, maximum = 7. 24 dS/m) range. The organic matter level exhibited absolutely lower (M = 0.75) than good agricultural soil. Soils of the area represents low in total N (M = 0.08), very low in total P content (M = 0.06), exchangeable Ca (M = 0.0009) were too low and lower content of exchangeable Mg (M = 0.26), but high level of exchangeable K (M = 0.57) content. Simple regression analysis showed that there was a significant effect of soil salinity on soil pH, soil temperature, OM, total N, total P, exchangeable K and Mg. Repairing coastal embankment (rubber dam), cultivating native high yielding variety, using organic fertilizer, implementing Integrated Soil Nutrient Management (ISNM) and adapting Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) can increase crop production and soil fertility level in study area.
Highlights
A number of environmental issues and problems are hindering the development of coastal livelihood of Bangladesh
In sandy textured soil contains higher bulk density (1.66 g/cm3) than sandy loam (1.59 to 1.63 g/cm3), silt loam (1.51 to 1.59 g/cm3) and loam (1.53 g/cm3) textured soil. These results were in confirmatory with the results reported by Chaudhari et al (2013)
These results were in confirmatory with the results reported by several researchers (e.g. Rhoades, Chanduvi, & Lesch, 1999; Pan, Zhao, Zhao, Han, & Wang, 2013; Eltaib, 2003)
Summary
A number of environmental issues and problems are hindering the development of coastal livelihood of Bangladesh. In Bangladesh about 0.883 million hectares of the arable lands, which constitutes about 52.8 percent of the net cultivable area in 64 Upazilas of 13 districts, are affected by varying degrees of soil salinity (Karim, Hossain, & Ahmed, 1990). A recent study indicates that the salinity affected area has increased from 8,330 km in 1973 to 10,560 km in 2009 (Soil Resource Development Institute [SRDI], 2010). In the coastal areas of Bangladesh, saline water is used for irrigation which reduces the growth of most agricultural crops (Murtaza, Ghafoor, & Qadir, 2006). Soil salinity (electrical conductivity: EC > 4 dS m-1) is a major abiotic stress which limits plant growth and development, causing yield loss in crop species (Qadir, Oster, Schubert, Noble, & Sahrawat, 2007). Salinity is causing decline in soil productivity and crop yield which results in severe degradation www.ccsenet.org/jas
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