Vol. 8, Issue 1 (2020)
Mapping of soil physico-chemical properties and soil separates in the transition zone of foothills of Shivaliks of Kathua region using GIS approach
Author(s): Vishaw Vikas, Vikas Sharma and Jag Paul Sharma
Abstract: Study area lies in between 32°17` N to 32°55`N of latitude and 75°70` E to 76°46` of longitude and exhibits different range of climate ranging from sub-tropical to temperate areas and to some extent alpine in upper regions of Bani and Lohai Malhar blocks. Composite surface soil samples from one hundred and twenty (206) locations distributed randomly across the whole of the district were collected at the depth of 0-15cms using global positioning system (GPS). Inverse distance weighting (IDW) technique was adopted to generate prediction maps of the soil properties. The choice of either technique to prepare filled contour maps of soil properties was based upon error analysis. The process of digitization and generation of maps was carried out with ArcGIS 10.3. The major portion of soils of the district was having a pH between 6 to 7. More than 50 percent of soils of Kathua District were having neutral pH but some areas depicted values ranging between 7 to 8 on pH scale. Very few areas were having pH less than 5. The areas near international border and areas that were on northern side of NH-1A depicted pH status ranging between 6 to 8. The hilly terrains lying on southern side of NH-1A in majority depicted pH status ranging between 6 to 7. The Electrical Conductivity map represented a higher EC in hilly terrains as compared to low land plain areas and low hill terrains. The hilly terrains noticed EC reading more than 0.3 dS/m whereas central portion of district observed EC in between 0.1 to 0.2 dS/m. As far as organic carbon is concerned, more than 50 percent of area had the higher range, whereas, rest of the area had OC in the medium to low range. The northern area of district which usually constituted the hilly portion and forest portion was having high OC than southern portion which is highly cultivated and mostly inhabited. The Organic Carbon in hilly terrains or on the left hand side of NH 1A usually lies between 1.50 to 3.00 percent and the portion on the right hand side lies between 0.75 to 1.50 percent. Clay Loam texture was usually dominant throughout the district. High clay content was observed in the southern hilly terrains whereas the same texture was dominant in some lower areas too. Silt content was high in extreme hilly terrains whereas silt distribution was 15 to 20 percent in lower plain areas. In some areas of central parts of district the silt content was less than 15 percent. The sand percentage in northern Kathua district was very high, mostly in the areas adjoining to river Ravi and high in areas adjoining International Border (Pakistan).
DOI: 10.22271/chemi.2020.v8.i1r.8435
Pages: 1293-1299 | 530 Views 73 Downloads
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How to cite this article:
Vishaw Vikas, Vikas Sharma, Jag Paul Sharma. Mapping of soil physico-chemical properties and soil separates in the transition zone of foothills of Shivaliks of Kathua region using GIS approach. Int J Chem Stud 2020;8(1):1293-1299. DOI: 10.22271/chemi.2020.v8.i1r.8435
