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: 5

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

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