Spatial variability of soil organic carbon under different land use using radial basis function (RBF)

Abstract

The present study was conducted to assess soil organic carbon (SOC) and other nutrients under different land use patterns in the lateritic region at Medinipur Block of Paschim Medinipur District, West Bengal, India. Samples were collected from different land use categories in 17 locations at soil depths of 0–19, 20–39, and 40–100 cm. The physical and chemical properties of soil were measured and concentration of SOC, pH, electric conductivity (EC), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) were calculated for each depth and land use category. Statistical analyses, including simple correlation and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to relate land use and SOC data and other soil properties. The radial basis function (RBF) method was employed to investigate the spatial pattern of SOC. Spatial variability of SOC showed maximum concentration on the north west part and lowest concentration in the northeast and central parts of the study area. The maximum average value of SOC was highest at 0–19 cm depth and declined with increasing depth. The observed mean of SOC in the topsoil (0–19 cm) was highest in the forest soils (0.69 %) and lowest in fallow land (0.41 %). This study suggests a need for appropriate land use strategies and sustainable soil management for improving soil fertility in the study area.