Evaluation of Soil Erodibility status under different Land Uses in Sechu-Zubza subdivision of Kohima, Nagaland

Author: Angela Pidenro, Manoj Dutta, Sewak Ram, Jurisandhya Barik Bordoloi, Alongba Jamir and Hapemo Ngullie K.

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Abstract

The study was conducted in the Department of Soil and Water Conservation, School of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development, Nagaland University, Medziphema to evaluate the impact of different land uses on erodibility characteristics in Sechu-Zubza subdivision of Kohima, Nagaland. Knowledge of soil erodibility status of a particular location with respect to various land uses is one of the important prerequisites to formulate proper soil water conservation strategy for sustainable productivity. Soil samples under three different land uses i.e terrace, jhum, and forest land from eight villages, viz., Khonoma, Sechuma, Khono-Basa, Sechu-Zubza, Dzulekema, Kiruphema, Peducha, and Mezoma were collected and analyzed for various parameters to evaluate the erodibility characteristics of the soil. The textural class were found to be clay loam, clayey, loamy and sandy clay loam with clay loam being the most dominant. Dispersion ratio of the soils ranged from 12.4 to 19.6, which were categorized as fairly erosive. Erosion index of the soils ranged from 8.3 to 12.6, which were recorded to be higher than the threshold limits. There was a positive correlation between Dispersion ratio (DR) and Erosion index (EI) (r= 0.35). Dispersion ratio showed significant positive correlation with sand (r= 0.63*). EI was negatively correlated with silt (r= -0.19) and clay (r= -0.36). Most of the soils were subjected to erodible class and need to adopt proper conservation measures.

Keywords

Dispersion ratio, erosion index, conservation measures

Conclusion

The soils in the research region, particularly Peducha village was highly sensitive to erosion. High erosion sensitivity will cause excessive transport on the soil surface, thus shall owing the depth of the soil and lowering land’s yield. Regardless of the land use, all the soils were subjected to be erodible class considering 2.8 as the threshold value for erosion index and 15 as the threshold limit for Dispersion ratio. Therefore, it is crucial to exercise extreme caution while making any interventions in all the land uses. To reduce the impact of erosivity of rainfall, proper soil and water management strategy should be adopted to increase the vegetative cover and to improve the infiltration capacity of the soil. Hence, it is recommended that proper reclamation activities be made, such as fertilization in terraces, boosting the plant composition and density in jhum, and safeguarding forests from anthropogenic influence to prevent soil erosion.

References

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How to cite this article

Angela Pidenro, Manoj Dutta, Sewak Ram, Jurisandhya Barik Bordoloi, Alongba Jamir and Hapemo Ngullie K. (2023). Evaluation of Soil Erodibility status under different Land Uses in Sechu-Zubza subdivision of Kohima, Nagaland . Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(3): 571-575.