Spatial variability analysis of soil quality parameters in a watershed of Sub-Himalayan Landscape - A case study

Year 2018, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 238 - 250, 01.07.2018

Justin George Kalambukattu Suresh Kumar Yogesh S. Ghotekar

https://doi.org/10.18393/ejss.427189

Cited By: 4

Abstract

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key component in
maintaining soil quality. Mapping the local scale variations in the
distribution and stratification of SOC and other soil quality parameters across
different layers has always been a challenging task, in the current global
scenario of changing climates. The study was aimed to investigate the spatial
distribution of SOC and other soil quality parameters including SOC
stratification ratio and CN ratio in a small hilly watershed (̴ 10 km²)
located in the mid Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh, India. Soil samples
were collected in November 2015, from 75 points at two depths (0-15 cm and
15-30cm), along with their geographical coordinates using a Global Positioning
System (GPS). The results revealed that SOC concentration (g kg^-1)
decreased with increasing soil depth, throughout the study area and differed
significantly (P<0.01) between the
two depths in vertical soil profile. The SOC stratification ratio values were
greater than 1.2 in major portion of watershed indicating a spatial improvement
in soil quality. C: N ratio, another important soil quality attribute values
were found to be <12:1, indicating high degree of soil quality and increased
rate of organic matter mineralization. 
The spatial distribution maps of SOC content (g kg^-1), SOC
stratification ratio as well as CN ratio of study area were generated using
Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation approach. Additionally soil
quality index (SQI) was also computed using various soil quality parameters
based on Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and their spatial distribution was
analyzed in the watershed. Nearly 76% of the study area had SQI values in the
range of 60-75, whereas 22.16% of the area had SQI<60 and 2.59% had
SQI>75. The overall results indicated that a higher degree of soil quality
existed at the higher elevation regions of the watershed. Majority of the soils
in the watershed accounted for only 60% of the maximum possible value of SQI,
which necessitates the adoption of better management practices for improving
the soil quality.

Keywords

Soil quality, Himalaya, IDW interpolation, watershed, soil organic carbon

References

• Andrews, S.S., Karlen, D.L., Mitchell, J.P., 2002. A comparison of soil quality indexing methods for vegetable production systems in northern California. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 90(1): 25–45.
• Aparicio, V., Costa, J.L. 2007. Soil quality indicators under continuous cropping systems in the Argentinean pampas. Soil and Tillage Research 96(1-2): 155–165.
• Arshad, M.A., Martin, S., 2002. Identifying critical limits for soil quality indicators in agro-ecosystems. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 88(2): 153–160.
• Bera, T., Collins, H.P., Alva, A.K., Purakayastha, T.J., Patra, A.K., 2016. Biochar and manure effluent effects on soil biochemical properties under corn production. Applied Soil Ecology 107:360–367.
• Bernoux, M., Carvalho, M.D.S., Volkoff, B., Cerri, C.C., 2002. Brazil’s soil carbon stocks. Soil Science Society of America Journal 66(3): 888-896.
• Bhatti, J.S., Apps, M.J., Jiang, H., 2002. Influence of nutrients, disturbances and site conditions on carbon stocks along a boreal forest transect in central Canada. Plant and Soil 242(1): 1-14.
• Bouyoucos, G.J., 1962. Hydrometer method improved for making particle size analysis of soils. Agronomy Journal 54(5): 464-465.
• Burrough, P.A., 1989. Fuzzy mathematical methods for soil survey and land evaluation. European Journal of Soil Science 40(3): 477–492.
• Chandio, I.A., Matori, A.N., Lawal, D.U., Sabri, S., 2011. GIS based Land suitability Analysis using AHP for public parks planning in Larkana city. Modern Applied Science 5(4): 177-189.
• Diack, M., Stott, D., 2001. Development of a soil quality index for the Chalmers Silty Clay Loam from the Midwest USA. Purdue University: USDA-ARS National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory. In: Sustaining the global farm. Selected papers from the 10th International Soil conservation Organization Meeting (ISCO99). Stott, D.E., Mohtar, R.H., Steinhardt, G.C. (Eds.). International Soil Conservation Organization in cooperation with the USDA and Purdue University. West Lafayette, USA. pp. 550-555.
• Diacono, M., Montemurro, F., 2010. Long term effects of organic amendments on soil fertility. A review Agronomy for Sustainable Development 30(2): 401-422.
• Ditzler, C.A., Tugel, A.J., 2002. Soil quality field tools : Experiences of USDA-NRCS soil quality institute. Agronomy Journal 94(1): 33–38.
• Dobermann, A., Oberthur, T., 1997. Fuzzy mapping of soil fertility — a case study on irrigated riceland in the Philippines. Geoderma 77(2-4): 317–339.
• Doran, J.W., Parkin, T.B., 1994. Defining and assessing soil quality. In: Defining Soil Quality for a Sustainable Environment. Doran, J.W., Coleman, D.C., Bezdicek, D.F., Stewart, B.A. (Eds.). Soil Science Society of America, Special Publication, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. 35:1-21.
• Doran, J.W., Parkin, T.B., 1996. Quantitative indicators of soil quality: a minimum data set. In: Methods for assessing soil quality. Doran, J.W., Jones, A.J. (Eds.). Soil Science Society of America, Special Publication, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. 49: 25–38.
• Doran, J.W., Jones, A.J., 1996. Methods for assessing soil quality. Soil Science Society of America, Special Publication Number 49, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. 410p.
• Doran, J.W., Coleman, D.C., Bezdicek, D.F., Stewart, B.A., 1994. Soil Science Society of America, Special Publication Number 35, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. 244p.
• Fang, X., Xue, Z., Li, B., An, S., 2012. Soil organic carbon distribution in relation to land use and its storage in a small watershed of the Loess Plateau, China. Catena 88(1): 6–13.
• Franzluebbers, A.J., 2002. Soil organic matter stratification ratio as an indicator of soil quality. Soil and Tillage Research 66(2): 95-106.
• Fu, B., 1991. Theory and practice of land evaluation. China Science and Technology Press, Beijing.
• Gong, G., Mattevad, S., O'Bryant, S.E., 2010. Comparison of the accuracy of kriging and IDW interpolations in estimating groundwater arsenic concentrations in Texas. Environmental Research 130: 59–69.
• Heal, O.W., Anderson, J.M., Swift, M.J., 1997. Plant litter quality and decomposition: An historical overview. In Driven By Nature: Plant Litter Quality and Decomposition. Cadisch, G., Giller, K.E. (Eds.), CAB International, Wallingford. pp 3-30.
• Herrick, J.E., Brown, J.R., Tugel, A.J., Shave, P.L., Havstad, K.M., 2002. Application of soil quality to monitoring and management: paradigms from rangeland ecology. Agronomy Journal 94(1): 3–11.
• Jackson, M.L., 1973. Soil Chemical Analysis, Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
• Jague, E.A., Sommer, M., Saby , N.P.A., Cornelis, J.T., Wesemael, B., Van Oost, K., 2016. High resolution characterization of the soil organic carbon depth profile in a soil landscape affected by erosion. Soil & Tillage Research 156: 185–193.
• Karlen, D.L., Ditzler, C.A., Andrews, S.S., 2003. Soil quality: why and how? Geoderma 114(3-4): 145-156.
• Karlen, D.L.K., Gardner, J.C., Rosek, M.J., 1998. A soil quality framework for evaluating the impact of CRP. Journal of Production Agriculture 11(1): 56–60.
• Karlen, D.L., Mausbach, M.J., Doran, J.W., Cline, R.G., Harris, R.F., Schuman, G.E., 1997. Soil quality: A concept, definition, and framework for evaluation. Soil Science Society of America Journal 61(1): 4-10.
• Klingebiel, A.A., Montgomery, P.H., 1961. Land capability classification. U.S.Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 210, Washington DC, USA. Available at: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052290.pdf
• Kumar, P., Verma, T.S., 2005. Characterization and classification of some rice growing soils of Palam Valley of Himachal Pradesh. Agropedology 15(2): 80-85.
• Larson, W.E., Pierce, F.J., 1994. The dynamics of soil quality as a measure of sustainable management. In: Defining Soil Quality for a Sustainable Environment. Doran, J.W. Coleman, D.C. Bezdicek, D.F., Stewart, B.A. (Eds.). Soil Science Society of America Special Publication, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. 35:37-51.
• Li, F.B., Lu, G.D., Zhou, X.Y., Ni, H.X., Xu, C.C., Yue, C., Yang, X.M., Feng J.F., Fang, F.P., 2015. Elevation and land use types have significant impacts on Spatial variability of soil organic matter content in Hani terraced field of Yuanyang county, China. Rice Science 22(1): 27-34.
• Lin, G.F., Chen, L.H., 2004. A spatial interpolation method based on radial basis function networks incorporating a semivariogram model. Journal of Hydrology 288(3-4): 288–298.
• Liu, S., An, N., Yang, J., Dong, S., Wang, C., Yin, Y., 2015. Prediction of soil organic matter variability associated with different land use types in mountainous landscape in southwestern Yunnan province, China. Catena 133: 137–144.
• Mandal, D., Singh, R., Dhyani, S.K., Dhyani, B.L., 2010. Landscape and land use effects on soil resources in a Himalayan watershed. Catena 81(3): 203–208.
• McBratney, A.B., Odeh, I.O.A., 1997. Application of fuzzy sets in soil science: fuzzy logic, fuzzy measurements and fuzzy decisions. Geoderma 77(2-4): 85–113.
• Mishra, A.K., Deep, S., Choudhary, A., 2015. Identification of suitable sites for organic farming using AHP & GIS. The Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Science 18(2): 181-193.
• Munson, S.A., Carey, A.E., 2004. Organic matter sources and transport in an agriculturally dominated temperate watershed. Applied Geochemistry 19(7): 1111–1121.
• Murphy, J., Riley, J.P., 1962. A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Analytica Chimica Acta 27: 31-36.
• Diodato, N., Ceccarelli, M., 2014. Multivariate indicator kriging approach using a GIS to classify soil degradation for Mediterranean agricultural lands. Ecological Indicators 4(3):177–187.
• Parras-Alcántara, L., Lozano-García, B., Galán-Espejo, A., 2015. Soil organic carbon along an altitudinal gradient in the Despeñaperros Natural Park, southern Spain. Solid Earth 6: 125–134.
• Pieri, C., Dumanski, J., Hamblin, A., Young, A., 1995. Land quality indicators. World Bank Discussion Papers, 315. The World Bank, Washington DC, USA. 80p. Available at [Access date :29.01.2018]: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/405971468739495480/pdf/multi-page.pdf
• Prescott, C.E., Maynard, D.G., Laiho, R., 2000. Humus in northern forests: friend or foe? Forest Ecology and Management 133(1-2): 23–36.
• Qi, Y., Darilek, J.L., Huang, B., Zhao, Y., Sun, W., Gu, Z., 2009. Evaluating soil quality indices in an agricultural region of Jiangsu Province, China. Geoderma 149(3-4): 325–334.
• Roy, S., Kumar, S., 2014. Developing a framework for soil quality assessment in a watershed of mountainous ecosystem using geo-spatial approach. M.Tech Thesis, IIRS, Dehradun
• Ryals, R., Kaiser, M., Torn, M.S., Berhe, A.A., Silver, W.L., 2014. Impacts of organic matter amendments on carbon and nitrogen dynamics in grassland soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 68: 52-61.
• Saaty, T.L., 2008. Decision making with the analytical hierarchy process. International Journal of Services Sciences 1(1): 83-98.
• Saaty, T.L., 1977. A scaling method for priorities in hierarchical structures. Journal of Mathematical Pscychology 15(3): 234-281.
• Schwager, S.J., Mikhailova, E.A., 2002. Estimating variability in soil organic carbon storage using the method of statistical differentials. Soil Science 167(3): 194-200.
• Seely, B., Welham, C., Blanco, J.A., 2010. Towards the application of soil organic matter as an indicator of forest ecosystem productivity: Deriving thresholds, developing monitoring systems, and evaluating practices. Ecological Indicators 10 (5): 999–1008.
• Six, J., Paustian, K., 2014. Aggregate-associated soil organic matter as an ecosystem property and a measurement tool. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 68: A4–A9.
• Stamatiadis, S., Doran, J.W., Kettler, T., 1999. Field and laboratory evaluation of soil quality changes resulting from injection of liquid sewage sludge. Applied Soil Ecology 12(3): 263–272.
• Stocking, M.A., 2003. Tropical soils and food security: The next 50 years. Science 302(5649): 1356–1359.
• Sun, B., Zhou, S.L., Zhao, Q.G., 2003. Evaluation of spatial and temporal changes of soil quality based on geostatistical analysis in the hill region of subtropical China. Geoderma 115(1-2): 85–99.
• Tang, X., 1997. Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of the productivity of purple soil in Sichuan Province, China. Advances in Soil Research 28: 107–109. [In Chinese]
• Velmurugan, A., Krishan, G., Dadhwal, V.K., Kumar, S., Swarnam, T., Saha, S., 2009. Harmonizing soil organic carbon estimates in historical and current data. Current Science 97(4): 554-558.
• Venteris, E.R., McCarty, G.W., Ritchie, J.C., Gish, T., 2004. Influence of management history and landscape variables on soil organic carbon and soil redistribution. Soil Science 169(11): 787-795.
• Viscarra Rossel, R.A., McBratney, A.B., 1998. Soil chemical analytical accuracy and costs: implications from precision agriculture Australian. Journal of Experimental Agriculture 38(7): 765–775.
• Wander, M.M., Water, G.L., Nissen, T.M., Bollero, G.A., Andrews, S.S., Cavanaugh-Grant, D.A., 2002. Soil Quality: Science and Process. Agronomy Journal 94(1): 23-32.
• Wang, X., Gong, Z., 1998. Assessment and analysis of soil quality changes after eleven years of reclamation in subtropical China. Geoderma 81(3-4): 339–355.
• Wang, Y., Fu, B., Lu, Y., Song, C., Luan, Y., 2010. Local scale spatial variability of soil organic carbon and its stock in the hilly area of the Loess Plateau, China. Quaternary Research 73(1): 70-76.
• Wen, W., Wang, Y., Yang, L., Liang, D., Chen, L., Liu, J., Zhu, A.X., 2015. Mapping soil organic carbon using auxiliary environmental covariates in a typical watershed in the Loess Plateau of China: a comparative study based on three kriging methods and a soil land inference model (SoLIM). Environmental Earth Science 73(1): 239–251.
• Wu, Q., Wang, M., 2007. A framework for risk assessment on soil erosion by water using an integrated and systematic approach. Journal of Hydrology 337(1-2): 11-21.
• Zhang, S.W., Huang, Y.F., Shen, C.Y., Ye, H.H., Du, Y.C., 2012. Spatial prediction of soil organic matter using terrain indices and categorical variables as auxiliary, information. Geoderma 171-172: 35–43.