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Drvelopment of Soil Fertility Map at Village Level for Rice Production

J C Biswas
Agronomy Division.BRRI Gazipur

M Maniruzzaman.MS Kabir.MA Satter.MA Saleque
WMM Division,BRRI Gazipur

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The study was undertaken inPirgani upazila undcr Thakurgaou district to compare farmer's' perception of' soil fertility with soil test based results, to delineate soil nutrient map and to facilitate nutrient management decision at micro level. Soil samples were collected at 0-15 cm deep having latitude and longitude reference and analyzed for different nutrient status. The mouza map was screen digitized with ARC View 3.2 and built in ARC/Info 3.5.1 to I: I 0.000 scales. Soil samples were geo-referenced with geographic positioning system (GPS) and the map was used for spatial analysis soil nutrient data. Different soil test values were used to make individual nutrient surface using inverse distance weight (IDW) interpolation method. Farmers' perception about the fertility of their farm was moderate to low. Soil of that locality is acidic in nature, sandy loam to sandy clay loam soil having low organic matter content. Most of the soils were fair to good in phosphorus (P) status in rice-non rice growing area. but deficit in Rice-Rice growing area. Almost all soils were deficit in potassium (K) in the study area. Zinc content is fairly adequate in most soils of the farm. Calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) were below critical level for growing riee. Soil fertility map showed that the soil fertility status of the Shibpur village was slightly different than farmers' perception. Based on the total fertility status of Shibpur village a fertilizer guideline has been prepared for sustainable rice production, which can be followed for rice production in the similar agroecological zones of Bangladesh.

Keywords: Soil fertility map, Village level, Rice production,

Location: BRRI, Gazipur-1701

Start Date: 01-07-2003

End Date: 30-12-2004

Program Area: Resource Development and Management

Commodity: Rice

Objectives:

To compare farmer's perception of soil fertility with the soil test based results to delineate soil nutrient status and to aid nutrient management decision at micro level.

Methodology:

Site selection and sampling procedures The study was conducted during 2003-04 within 125 hectares field (25°52' N latitude, 88°27' E longitude) at Shibpur mouza, 6 km east of Pirganj upazila under Thakurgaon district. The soils of this site belong to Old Himalayan Piedmont Plain group and are sandy loam to sandy clay loam in texture (FAO, 1988). The field had been cropped with Rice (Oryza sativa L.)-Rice and Rice-Non- Rice (vegetables/wheat) rotation for more than 15 years. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) was conducted at Shibpur village to identify soil fertility level using farmer's knowledge of farming their own field. Initially farmers drew their village map and demarcated the field according to fertility level such as good (1), fair (II) and poor (III). They classified their field based on soil colour, topographical feature, water holding capacity and yield of crops. Soil sampling and analysis Soil samples were collected in December 2003 after the harvest of T. Aman (July-October) rice. Geo-referenced representative soil samples were collected at 0-15 cm deep from at least 9 spots and samples were composited according to Pocknee et at. (1996). Based on soil topography and field size about 10m radius was considered for one sample. As a result, sampling places were scattered in some cases but others were more close. Total 23 samples were collected to cover 125 ha area. Collected soils were air-dried, grounded and passed through a 2-mm sieve. Soil samples were analyzed for pH in water (1:1 soil:water mixture), exchangeable Ca, Mg and K, and available P by the Lancaster method (Cox, 2001). Organic matter was analyzed by wet oxidation, available Sand Zn by 500 ppm Ca(HPO 4)2 extraction and 0.01 N HC1, respectively (Black et al., 1965). Soil fertility mapping Mouza map was collected from the district settlement office, which was screen digitized using ARC View 3.2 and built in ARC/lnfo 3.5.1 to 1: 10,000 scales (ESRI, 1996). Soil test values for organic matter (OM), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) were used to make individual nutrient surface using IDW interpolation method. All the grid themes were used as the input to find the final soil fertility grid using weighted overlay method and the values in each input grid was assigned on the numeric preference scale 1-4 of their importance and then weighted by the relative influence of its input grid for fertility assessment. The relative contribution on the rice yield of different soil nutrient parameters used in this study was rated at per their importance. The individual six nutrient surfaces/grids were re-classified according to their OM and nutrient values. Soil test classes were assumed based on yield response of rice (Saleque et al., 1999; BARC, 2005). All the soils under investigation have less than 2.5% OM although a good soil should have more than 2.5% OM content in Bangladesh situation (BARC, 2005). It is likely that satisfactory OM can not be build up in this country because of high humidity and temperature. The OM surface map was, therefore, created with a lower class interval for putting reasonable weight on the contribution of OM, because it influences physical, chemical and biological properties of soils (BARC, 2005). The P and K classification were also based on BARC (2005) guide line. In clay loam soil, application of 60 kg K/ha in dry season irrigated rice (Boro) and 30 kg K/ha in T. Aman season (Rainfed wetland) may be enough for MY rice production in Boro-Fallow-T. Aman cropping pattem having exchangeable K level of 0.18-0.2 meq/100g (BRR!, 1995). It was also found that there was good response of added P fertilizer when soil P content was 4.8-6.7 ppm in clay loam soil (BRRI, 1997). Moreover, N deficiency is widespread in Bangladesh which is also associated with poor OM content. However, farmers are well known about N deficiency and they apply adequate or excess of N fertilizer in most cases. So, N nutrient surface map was not included for final soil fertility mapping.

Source of Information: Bangladesh Rice J. 12 (1 & 2): 9-15, 2007

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1. Government

Budget: 4,500/-

Total Budget (Tk.) : 4,500/-

Achievement/Findings:

Soil fertility map showed that the soil fertility status of the Shibpur village was slightly different than farmers' perception. Based on the total fertility status of Shibpur village a fertilizer guideline has been prepared for sustainable rice production, which can be followed for rice production in the similar agroecological zones of Bangladesh.

Knowledge Management: Journal