Impact of Land Use on the Soil Quality of Kuttanad Region, Kerala

Author: Higgins Robert and Dhanush D.M.

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Abstract

Changes in land use and improper soil management have led to severe land degradation around the globe through the modification of soil physicochemical and biological processes. This study aimed to assess the soil properties of different land use system types. Soil samples (0-15 cm depth) were collected from three land uses Paddy field, Settlement with Mixed Trees (SMT), and urban area, and analysed for physical parameters like Bulk density, Particle density, Porosity, Water Holding Capacity, Electrical Conductivity (EC) and chemical parameters like soil pH, Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), Phosphorous, Potassium, and Magnesium. Soil pH was 6.32 in urban, 5.25 in SMT and 3.80 in Paddy indicating that the surface soil was acidic. The SOC is low in SMT (5.25), Urban (3.06), and paddy (6.006) indicating declining soil fertility in SMT and Urban areas. The high level of phosphorous in SMT (37.38 Kg/ha) and Urban (25.984 Kg/ha) also shows the discharge of effluents in these land uses. The findings demonstrated that significant effect of land use change on soil nutrient status and organic matter. Findings also that land use change deteriorated native soil and physicochemical and biological properties.

Keywords

Soil Nutrient, Physicochemical, Biological, Land Degradation, Land Use

Conclusion

Land-use change has caused extensive biophysical impacts in terms of soil and water quality deterioration in the Kuttanad region. Land-use change was responsible for significant fluctuations in soil physical parameters like bulk density, particle density, porosity, WHC, and EC. It also affected the chemical soil quality parameters like soil pH, SOC, CEC, soil ‘P’, ‘K’, and ‘Mg’ stocks. All these fluctuations in soil physico-chemical parameters were more significant in the SMT (Settlement with mixed trees) and built-up lands. The soil quality index demonstrates that the paddy land transformation has a serious effect on soil degradation.

References

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How to cite this article

Higgins Robert and Dhanush D.M. (2023). Impact of Land Use on the Soil Quality of Kuttanad Region, Kerala. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(4): 919-925.