Estimation of Fertility Status of Coastal Soils for Agricultural Planning in Bangladesh

A study was conducted to know the fertility status of coastal soils of Bangladesh for agricultural planning. Thirty composite soil samples were collected from different locations of Kalapara upazila under Patuakhali coastal district in Bangladesh with Geographic Positioning System (GPS) positions. The soil samples were analyzed for physical properties (moisture, texture, bulk density, particle density and porosity) and chemical properties (pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, organic carbon, exchangeable sodium, exchangeable potassium, available sulphur and available phosphorus). The range of moisture contents of collected soils was 24 to 29% and the textural class was silty clay. The bulk density ranged from 1.30 to 1.47 gcm-3. The particle density ranged from 2.31 to 2.49 gcm-3. The porosity of soil samples ranging from 40.96 to 46.06%. The pH ranged from 5.85 to 6.45. The EC value of collected soils ranged from 3.10 to 5.12 dSm-1. The total nitrogen and organic carbon content was low to medium. The exchangeable sodium and potassium content of soils ranged from 9.22 to 18.47 meq 100g-1 and 0.16 to 0.27 meq 100g-1, respectively. The available sulphur and phosphorus content of soils ranged from 17.21 to 33.21 mg kg-1 and 17.12 to 33.09 mg kg-1, respectively. The results revealed that the soils of the study area were slightly to moderately saline and thus the nutrients present in the soils were low to medium level. Hence, salinity problem of soils should be considered before agricultural planning in the study area.