Land Conversion Effect on the Dynamics of Selected Soil Physicochemical Properties in a Tropical Environment of Southern Kerala

Abstract

Different types of land uses have a profound impact on various soil quality parameters. Determining the changes in soil quality resulting from land use change is essential to design sustainable land management plans and policies. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the effect of land conversion on soil degradation in a tropical environment of Kerala, India. The study involves 28 soil samples from six representative land uses viz., forest, forest plantations, rice, settlement with mixed trees (SMT), clay mining sites and urban areas. Soil physicochemical parameters like bulk density, particle density, electrical conductivity, porosity, water holding capacity, pH, soil organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium were considered. Standard deviation and coefficient of variation were used to find out the statistical significant differences in soil quality parameters among land uses under study. A simple soil degradation index was employed to identify the nature of soil degradation. Results showed that extensive land conversion occurred in the study area with urbanization as the major driving force. Soil degradation index showed that soil degradation was higher in the clay mining areas, urban and rice soils.