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Soil Properties Under Eight Different Land Uses in Bandarban Hill District of Bangladesh

M. M. Abdullah Al Mamun
Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh.

S. B. Tanvir Ahmed Emon
Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh.

Mohammed Shafiul Alam
Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The Hill Tracts of Bangladesh have been exploited beyond their sustainable limits in the last century. Research for restoration and sustainable practices is now emphasized in this region. Studies on present soil conditions are essential as these will determine the type and intensity of inputs needed to restore and achieve sustainability. This study was conducted to assess the physical and chemical properties of soil in the Bandarban hill district under eight different land uses. Convenience sampling was done in the Ruma Upazila of the district, and eight different land uses were selected as- 1. Jhum (shifting cultivation) land, 2. Turmeric cultivated area, 3. Papaya orchard, 4. Tectona grandis (Teak) plantation, 5. Banana orchard, 6. Orange orchard, 7. Natural forest and 8. Fallow land- for the collection of soil. Most of the nutrient values (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, organic carbon) and physical soil factors (maximum water holding capacity, bulk density, porosity) were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) better in some land uses, as shown in the hierarchy of natural forest > fallow land >Banana orchard >Papaya orchard. A monoculture of the Tectona grandis plantation was found significantly (p ≤ 0.05) poor in topsoil conditions. In all cases, most used soil showed less tendency toward sustainable production although higher nutrient availability can be found in those soils (such as application of inorganic fertilizer) the presence of the lower amount of organic deposits implies that there is a lack of natural source of nutrients in the long run. This research can benefit both policymakers and practitioners to implement sustainable land-use practices in Bandarban and the Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.

Keywords: Chittagong Hill Tracts, Land use, Soil physical properties, Soil chemical properties, Nitrogen, Organic carbon

Location: Ruma Upazila of Bandarban district in Bangladesh.

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Crop-Soil-Water Management

Commodity: Soil Physical Properties

Objectives:

To determine the physical and chemical characteristics of soil from eight different land uses in the Bandarban hill district and to discuss the effects of land uses on soil properties.

Methodology:

The study was based on primary data obtained by physical and chemical analysis of soil samples collected from Ruma Upazila (an administrative unit under the district administration in Bangladesh) of Bandarban district in Bangladesh. Besides, some valuable information on previous studies has also been presented from secondary sources. Description of the study area Bandarban, one of the important districts in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, has seven Upazilas. The district is located in between 21°11' N and 22°22' N latitudes and 92°04' E 92°41' E longitudes. The total area covered by the district is 4,479 km², of which 2653.54 km² is under forest. The area lies 26m above sea level, has significant rainfall in most of the months, with a short dry season. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Am (Tropical monsoon). The average temperature in the region is 25.9 °C and about 2528 mm of precipitation falls annually. The area falls under the tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen bio-geographic zone. The area is characterized by steep to very steep hill ranges with a good amount of mineral contents in the sedimentary rocks at the bottom of the hill. By the weathering process, soils are developed from these mineral contents. Samples were first sieved through a 10 mm mesh sieve to remove gravel, coarse roots, small stones, and other unwanted materials. Then they were sieved through a 2 mm mesh sieve and dried at room temperature. Finally, the samples were oven-dried for 24 hours at 105°C. Some dry samples were used for determining pH and oven-dry samples to determine other parameters. The core samples were collected for determining the maximum water holding capacity, bulk density, and porosity. At first, field moist soil cores were accurately weighed, and then they were allowed to saturate with water by diving two-thirds of the cores in a tray. When a thin film of water developed on the upper surface of the cores, they were withdrawn from water and weighed. The cores were then allowed to drain water on a tray filled with sand for 24 hours and then reweighed. The cores were then dried in an oven at 105°C for 8 hours, cooled in desiccators, and weighed. From these values, field moist and oven-dry weight of the soils in the scores were calculated and divided separately by the core volumes (100 cm³), dry bulk density was determined. Soil color was determined with the help of the Munsell Soil Color Chart. The texture was determined by hand feeling. Soil structure was determined immediately after digging the soil on the field. The pH of the suspension was measured with a digital pH meter. The filtered water was then measured with a digital conductivity meter. Before taking the conductivity reading of filtered water, the meter was standardized. The percentage of carbon and organic matter was calculated from the following relationship % C = 0.476 X (% LOI – 1.87). Nitrogen was determined by the micro-Kjeldahl digestion process. Available Phosphorous was extracted by ammonium fluoride-hydrochloric acid and measured by Bray and Kurtz. Available Potassium was determined from the extraction with 1N NH₄O Ac using a flame photometer. Available Ca and Mg were extracted with1N NH₄OAc and determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Sulfur was measured according to Johnson and Nishita. Statistical analysis Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 24.0 for Window (Li et al., 2004). One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done to compare the differences among the land uses (Sokal and Rohlf, 1995). Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) was performed to determine whether treatment means were significantly different at p ≤ 0.05 (Su and Zhao, 2003).

Source of Information: Int. J. Fores. Env., Volume 05, Issue 01, 201-214, 2021

Article Link (Online Journal): ?https://doi.org/10.18801/ijfee.050121.23

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The land use of the Bandarban hill district is diverse and the soil properties are varied widely. Due to disturbance by human activities, the forest and floor cover is now declining. Intensive soil working for farming practices plays a vital role in topsoil erosion. Subsequently, the nutrient quality has been declined. The result found in this research concludes that the natural forest holds the upper hand in all the criteria of soil health. On the other hand, the more disturbed the soil is, the less they can support healthy vegetation. In most cases, erosion-prone land use such as jhum cultivated land or Tectona grandis land use showed poor soil characteristics. Some agricultural plots showed higher values of nutrients in the present context, but the externally applied inorganic fertilizers in the field will leach or erode in the long run. An interesting question can be arising here for further investigation that how much nutrients are leached or washed out from these plots and what amount of soil is eroded due to various land-use practices?

Knowledge Management: Journal