ISSN: 2224-0616 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 10(2): 84-90, December 2020 Available online at https://ijarit.webs.com DOI: https://doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v10i2.51581 https://www.banglajol.info/index.php/IJARIT Investigation of soil properties and nutrients in agricultural practiced land in Tangail, Bangladesh M.S. Islam*, T. Nusrat, M.R. Jamil, F. Yesmin, M.H. Kabir and R.H. Rimi Received 10 August 2020, Revised 23 November 2020, Accepted 24 December 2020, Published online 31 December 2020 A B S T R A C T The study investigated on soil nutrients in agriculture practiced high, medium high, medium low and low land at Kalihati upazila of Tangail district during October 2017 to June 2018. Thirty soil samples were collected from different land types at the study area and analyzed at Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) to determine soil nutrient status. The soil parameters under investigation included pH, organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), available zinc (Zn), available iron (Fe), available manganese (Mn), available boron (B), exchangeable potassium (K), exchangeable calcium (Ca) and exchangeable magnesium (Mg). Results indicated that many of the soil nutrient levels decreased such as pH (5.63 to 6.40), P (3.50 to 23.20 µg g-1), Zn (3.27 to 3.60 µg g-1), Mn (21.12 to 57.90 µg g-1), B (0.17 to 0.60 µg g-1), K (0.18 to 0.30 meq 100g-1) and Ca (5.75 to 9.10 meq 100g-1). On the contrary, the average content of OM (2.30 to 1.40%), Fe (248.22 to 161.10 µg g-1) and Mg (2.07 to 1.80 meq 100g-1) were increased. Total N content status did not change much (0.12%). Soil nutrients like those that available Zn, Fe, Mn and Mg contents were found above optimum level (very high) but OM and N status found below optimum level (low, very low and medium). Nutrient concentrations below optimum levels may limit crop yield. Updated knowledge about soil nutrient status needs to be provided for the farmers so that they can use necessary amount of fertilizers and avoid applying excess amount of fertilizers. Keywords: Nutrients, Land type, Crops production, Soil and Agriculture. Department of Environmental Science and Resource Management, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Tangail-1902, Bangladesh. *Corresponding author’s email: [email protected] (M.S. Islam) Cite this article as: Islam, M.S., Nusrat, T., Jamil, M.R., Yesmin, F., Kabir, M.H. and Rimi, R.H. 2020. Investigation of soil properties and nutrients in agricultural practiced land in Tangail, Bangladesh. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 10(2): 84-90. https://doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v10i2.51581 Introduction The main challenge of agriculture is to provide Soil acts as the storehouse for plant nutrients. In enough food for the rapidly increasing population other words, soil is the ultimate source of almost of the country (Shah et al., 2008). Farmers all essential nutrient elements for plant growth. desperately try to increase crop yield by applying Soil plays a major role in determining the additional inorganic fertilizers, and pesticides for sustainable productivity of an agro-ecosystem. increasing cropping intensity, where application The sustainable productivity of soil mainly of excessive amount of a particular fertilizer may depends upon its ability to supply essential hinder availability of other nutrients. Our farmers nutrients to the growing plants. The deficiency of use fertilizers without knowing about the micronutrients is major constraint to inherent nutrient status of the soil. Often extra productivity, stability and sustainability of soils fertilizers and pesticides are used carelessly and (Bell and Dell, 2008). Soil fertility is an inefficiently. Limiting these problems need timely important factor, which determines the growth of assessment of the soil nutrient at the field level plant. Soil fertility is determined by the presence (Bhuiya et al., 1974). or absence of nutrients i.e. macro and International Journal of Agricultural Research Innovation & Technology An open access article under Islam et al. (2020) Investigation of soil properties and nutrients in agricultural practiced land in Tangail micronutrients. Although micronutrients are must produce more food to feed the country's required in minute quantities, they have the same ever-growing population. Targeting high yield agronomic importance as macronutrients with a higher cropping intensity is the most because they play a vital role in the growth of logical way to raise the total production from the plants (Nazif et al., 2006). country's limited land resources. Inorganic, organic and bio-fertilizers are the main sources For plants, the essential micronutrients are for replenishing plant nutrients in agricultural boron, chlorine, sodium, copper, iron, soil. However, the problem is that soil is turning manganese, zinc, vanadium and molybdenum. barren due to deficiency of different nutrients These elements are required at trace levels and with prolonged agricultural practices without they can have a toxic effect if present at higher proper management. Soil analysis is a valuable than threshold levels. Among them chlorine, tool for soil nutrients assessment, soil practices manganese, iron, zinc, vanadium are likely to and soil management. However, only few studies take part in the photosynthesis process. The found to report the status of soil nutrients at micronutrients including iron (Fe), copper (Cu), Tangail district and there is a clear need for a soil zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel nutrient assessment for agricultural perspectives. (Ni) and sulfur (S) play a very important role in Considering this gap, the study was carried out plant growth, productivity, soil fertility and with the following objectives: i) to assess the soil animal nutrition. The micronutrients function in nutrients status in variable lands of the study living organism as structural components of cell area, and ii) to assess the changes in soil nutrient constituents and its metabolically active contents with agricultural practices. compounds. They also help in the maintenance of cellular organization, and in energy Materials and Methods transformation in enzyme action (Renwick and Walker, 2008). Study area The yield of almost all crops is very low in Tangail district is located in the central part of Bangladesh compared to some other developed Bangladesh. Kalihati is one of the upazila of countries. There are a number of reasons behind Tangail district located at 24'3833° N and such low crop yield in which soil is a dominating 90'0083° E (Fig. 1). The total area of Kalihati factor. The agriculture of Bangladesh has been upazila is 2.39 km2 with a total of 3,54,959 suffering from various problems such as nutrient populations (BPC, 2011). Bhuapur and Ghatail deficiency and toxicity of soil, improper soil and upazila on the north, Tangail sadar and Basail crop management, alteration of agricultural land upazila on the south, Sakhipur upazila on the east for other uses, insects and disease hazards, and and the Jamuna River on the west surround this natural calamities (Benson and Clay, 2002). The upazila. Main crops of the upazila are paddy, success or failure of a crop production system wheat, mustard, potato, onion, ginger, garlic, primarily depends on plant nutrient in soil, which pulse and vegetables. Different Land types were is either naturally endowed or artificially found in this upazila which are classified maintained. The cropping sector of Bangladesh according to Uddin et al. (2019) shown in Table 1. Table 1. Classification of land types in Bangladesh based on inundation. Sl. Land types Description 1 Highland (HL) Land, which is above the normal flooding level 2 Medium highland (MHL) Land, which is flooded up to about 90 cm deep during the flooding season 3 Medium lowland (MLL) Land, which is flooded, between 90 and 180 cm deep during flooding season 4 Lowland (LL) Land, which is normally flooded up to between 180 and 300 cm deep during the flooding season 5 Very lowland (VLL) Land, which is normally flooded deeper than 300 cm during the flooding season Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 10(2): 84-90, December 2020 85 Islam et al. (2020) Investigation of soil properties and nutrients in agricultural practiced land in Tangail Fig. 1. Map showing the study area in the Kalihati upazila of Tangail district. Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI), Sample collection Tangail for analysis of soil pH, total organic Total 30 soil samples were collected from matter (OM), total nitrogen (N), available different land types in the study area to know phosphorus (P), available zinc (Zn), available their nutritional status for agricultural practices. iron (Fe), available manganese (Mn), available Among them, 6 samples were collected from high boron (B), exchangeable potassium (K), land (HL), 9 samples from medium high land exchangeable calcium (Ca) and exchangeable (MHL), 9 samples from medium low land (MLL) magnesium (Mg). The soil pH was determined by and 6 samples from low land (LL). The samples digital pH meter. The OM of soil sample was were scraped from the top to bottom (0 to 10 cm) determined by Walkley and Black’s wet oxidation with the help of an auger. Then 250 g soil was method (Huq and Alam, 2005). Total N of soil taken to have a representative sample. All samples were determined by semi-micro Kjeldhal samples were placed in sealed polythene bags and method (Sattar and Rahman, 1987). The available labeled with date of collection, location and code P of soil was determined by using the Olsen number. From the collected samples, the gravels, method (Sattar and Rahman, 1987). The available pebbles, plant roots, leaves etc. were dried in air Zn was determined by DTPA method (Roberts, for 15 days by spreading on a clean piece of 1971).