Preliminary Study on Existing Scenario of Selected Soil Properties in Cheddikulum Grama Niladhari Division Vavuniya District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The productivity of the soil has changed into the worst condition knowingly or unknowingly by
anthropogenic activities as well as natural phenomena. The study was conducted to quantify selected
soil properties in Cheddikulum Grama Niladhari division, Vavuniya District and find reclaim the
problem soil and make suggestions to cultivate the crop variety suitable for the existing soil properties
since this area is a recently rehabilitated area. Fifty composite samples were selected for the research
using the stratified random sampling method. Stratification was based on the type of land cover, and
following land cover patterns were identified agriculture land patches, forest patches, and grassland
patches. Soils were collected from top to 30 cm depth (root zone) using a core sampler, and
subsamples were collected to obtain composite samples. Soil samples were analyzed for pH, EC,
organic matter content, total nitrogen, exchangeable potassium, and available phosphorous. 14.8% of
agricultural land area was acidic soil and 4.7% alkaline soil. 15.3% of agricultural land area was
identified as saline soil. 67.11% of agricultural lands contain more phosphorous concentration than
the optimum range. 4.7% of agricultural lands contain higher potassium concentrations than the
optimum range. 94% of forest lands and 100% of grasslands contains phosphorous concentration
higher than the optimum range. But forest lands showed a lower level of potassium concentration.
23.6% of grasslands contain higher potassium than the optimum level. Organic matter ranged
between 0.01% to 5.43% in agricultural lands where 82% of total nitrogen concentrations were the
optimum level. Agriculture practices lead to change in the soil; hence identified soil problems should
be reclaimed in order to maintain the fertility of the soil for sustainable production. Proper
management of soil can be a better solution for supporting the successful agricultural activity of the
community in the future and socio-economic development of this region and need to be adhering to
crop variety selection and soil reclamation practices.

Keywords: Productivity, Soil problems, Soil reclamation