testing

Introduction

Iranaimadu tank is one of the key reservoir for the people of Kilinochchi district and it is located in the Mullaitivu District. 127,930 ha extant of land is covered by this command area in which 49% is utilized for agriculture, 40% is under forest and remaining 11% includes other lands  44% of the agricultural area is used for irrigated paddy production. Iranamadu Tank command area is approximately 970 km². The Iranamadu Tank Bund was originally constructed in 1902.

        Thrice successive settlement campaigns during in 1951, in 1954 and in 1975 the capacities of tank was 88 million cubic meters (MCM), 101 MCM and 131.8 MCM respectively. The total command area of Iranamadu is 8,455 ha. The area has potential for paddy cultivation and subsidiary crops such as chillies, onions, groundnuts, green gram etc. In the uplands, perennial crops include mangoes, jackfruit, coconuts, etc. The Kilinochchi district as a whole has 21 208 farming households. The farming households who are living under the Iranaimadu command area facing several problems and limitation in boosting their productions .In terms of increasing agriculture production, they were many agriculture related departments and institutions taken intensive efforts to increase the productivity by using agronomical practices and introducing new efficient variety of different crops; But it was not succeeded beyond certain level due to some other reasons. With considering this scenario, there is a prediction relatives to soil relative factors have high degree of influence which dramatically conditioning the production .Therefore, this research proposal is outlining the importance of soil analysis in the command area to prepare a suitable area specific crop diversification plan for enhancing the productivity.

Hypothesis

1-Soil profile studies helps for improvement of crop production.

2-Water level influence on crop production.

Justification

Many nutrients tend to be over-applied resulting in imbalances in the soil and harmful effects on the environment. An excess of nitrogen can cause leaching and groundwater contamination or contamination of waterways from run-off. Presently available fertilizers will drop the phosphorus as it binds with the soil and the application of it have virtually eliminated the need of phosphorus to lawn.  The efficient use of fertilizers depend on the plant nutrients diagnosis by resting the soil. If the soil is insufficient in an available nutrient element, it reduces the effectiveness of the other elements and consequently the yields will be lower. Soil reaction play important role in the availability of nutrients. In heavy soils, especially under alkaline condition, the nutrients are usually changed to such chemical forms that they are not easily available to plant. As an example with the knowledge of soil reaction and electrical conductivity we can get an idea to reclaim salt affected soils. This research is planned to classify the soils under Iranaimadu command area which is suspected to be developed against to salinity, toxicity and sodicity due to long term irrigation and excessive fertilization.

          So far, there has not been a detailed soil studies conducted in the concern area.Due to this reason the data available on physicochemical characteristics of soils under Iranaimadu tank command area is insufficient .Therefore, conduction of research on soil analysis is a vital need for enhancing the crop productivity.

 

Literature Review

Knowledge of the basic composition of soil has become essential to plant growth. Soil is one of the major substrata of Earth which serves as a source of nutrients and water supports to plants and a medium for the degradation of wastes. It is also involved in cycling of several elements. Due to many different factors, soils are extremely complex and display a great deal of heterogeneity between different samples. Soil scientists, have identified five essential processes that influence these differences among soils; they are the parent material, climate, topography, organisms, and time.

Based on its physical structure and characteristics, the soil can be described. The physical structure is first classified into horizontal layers called horizons. The soil profile comprises the full vertical sequence of horizons. The complex structure of soil can be further broken down into the substructures known as aggregates which form from the associations of different compounds within the soil. The aggregates are classified by size and stability. Macroaggregates are larger than 250 nanometers in diameter and are formed by temporary associations. As their name would suggest, microaggregates are smaller than 250 nanometers in diameter. Water-stable microaggregates are generally the most stable and are dependent on organic binding agents.

Furthermore, soil can be classified by the individual particles or grains that compose the soil material. Grain sizes are classified as, in order of increasing the size of clay, silt, or sand, without taking the chemical or mineralogical composition into account. The size of individual soil particles and the aggregate structures influence the ability to retain and transport nutrients, air, and water. Soils that contain mostly sand particles are coarse in texture, while those that are rich in clay particles are fine textured.When the soil texture becomes very fine, the porosity of the soil will decreases, while the permeability also will get decreases.The capacity to hold air and water by the soil is called as porosity of the soil.The permeability is consider as the fluid transport and the components which is dissolved within them. With the present elements and the minerals, the soil composition can be categorized. Most soil is made up of mineral particles which contains silicate ion arrays in combination with various cations. Minerals are solid materials of various chemical elements in fixed proportions, that are bonded and arranged in a regular crystal structure. As a result, minerals differ not only in elemental composition but also in terms of physical structure. Although thousands of minerals exist in soil, only about twenty to thirty types are common enough to be found in concentrations above 1% in soil. Some of these common minerals include such as quartz, sulfates, amphiboles, iron oxides, carbonates, feldspars, pyroxenes, zeolites, and clay minerals. The most common mineral is feldspar, which is an aluminosilicate containing sodium(Na), potassium(K), or calcium(Ca) along with aluminum(Al) ions. In contrast to the mineral components, the majority of the organic material in soil is not electrically charged.

Extensive laboratory studies and observations of the characteristics of many diverse samples have led to the development of several systems for the classification of soils based on their composition. Two of the most widely used systems of classification are the soil order system of the U.S. Soil Taxonomy and the World Reference Base for Soil Resources of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Current Methods of Soil Analysis

Recent scientific advances have created a surge of different methods of analyzing soil for several purposes. Traditionally, soil analysis has focused almost exclusively on the inorganic aspects of soil. The diversity of soils makes standardization of methods difficult due to the fact that methods are often adapted to suit the conditions of specific soil samples. However, there are several methods commonly used by scientists. Once a sample has been collected, the initial step in examination is generally macroscopic and low-power stereomicroscopic observation to identify any unusual particles that may need to undergo further examination. Before and after air drying, samples are often compared by their color; however, to discriminating a sample, the color comparison alone is not sufficient. Therefore other methods must be considered. Some of these methods include analysis of particle size distribution and a density gradient distribution analysis, which separates the various constituents of the soil on the basis of density. The soil is then run through various sieves of differing sizes, and each section that is sieved is analyzed individually.

Various methods of chemical and mineral analysis of soil characteristics can also be applied to investigate the soil evidence. A commonly used criterion for soil analysis is the major and trace elements that compose the sample either in bulk or in fractions. Commonly employed methods of elemental analysis include atomic absorption spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, inductively coupled plasma spectrometry, neutron activation analysis, and energy wavelength dispersive x-ray microanalysis. However, studies have shown that the probability of correct identification using x-ray fluorescence spectrometry of the amounts of elements in the sample were only about 71%. Although this does show that this method has some value, alone this method cannot discriminate different soils with a high degree of certainty. Geochemical techniques using geochemical signatures and isotopes have also been used for forensic studies, although they do not provide effective discrimination of samples on their own. However, these approaches do provide stronger discriminating power when used in combination with other methods.

There are several new methods of analysis that are currently being researched that examine the biological components of soil, which have been largely ignored until recently. For example, current research suggests the following: The identification of a plant species and identification of an individual plant from which the sample is originated may be easily done by the investigators with the help of the botanic fragments found in soil. These fragments may be identified by traditional microscopic methods or by DNA sequencing of selected genes in order to link a suspect to the scene of the crime.

The future of soil analysis will likely be directed toward combined approaches to analysis, utilizing several different methods to increase precision and discrimination. It is also very important that databases be developed for use in analysis and comparison of samples. There are very high expectations for soil science in the future, thus soil analysis methods must be as precise as possible, and statistical tests must be carried out on all results that will be used as evidence. Many issues in the field still need to be resolved. There are many improved and new methods for soil analysis are currently being explored. These methods are expected to provide a great deal of evidence for prosecutors and investigators.

 

 

Objective

The overall objective of this study is expected to serve as a guideline for the decision makers and to improve farm productivity in the command area. It is further hoped that this data will also serve as a good bench mark for indicating the changes could be made for planning in future.

Objective -1

To study the important soil properties under Iranaimadu command area.

Objective -2

To recommend the most appropriate crops could be cultivates based on soil condition.

Objective -3

To provide qualitative and quantitative data on soil condition under Iranaimadu commend area to the relevant stakeholders.

Objective -4

To maintain the fluctuation of water resources under Iranaimadu commend area.

Methodology

The following methods will be used to carry the research

·         Field visits

·         Identification of location

·         Segmentation of command area

·         Making of soil pits

Field visits

The purpose of this visit is to understand the various characters of soil under Iranaimadu command area.

        In addition, the field visits will be facilitated to have focal group discussion with the farmers and famer’s organizations from the concern area to gain in-depth understanding of their traditional agronomical and chemical practices.

Identification of location

The location will be identified for the extensive research through field observation and the information which will be gathered from concern area farmers from the concern area. It will only be identified based on information regarding to the soil condition, land use etc.

Segmentation of command area

There are numerous of different soil type existing in the concern area could be categorized such as upstream, downstream, disturb and undisturbed lands. Therefore the segmentation will be done accordingly.  

Making soil pits

One cubic meter of pits will be made available in the identified location for the purpose of soil sampling.

Data to be gathered

Generally data will be collected through two steps; Primary data and Secondary data.

Secondary data

The existing data will be collected from relevant government departments, universities and Non Governmental organizations. This secondary data will contain following key information

·         Tank location

·         Tank capacity

·         Extend of command area and numbers of beneficiaries

·         Meteorological data and information

·         Irrigation data and information

Primary secondary data

The primary data will be gathered through following activities

·         Number of field visits

·         Focal group discussion with relevant stakeholders

·         Questionnaires

·         Interviews with farmers

Analysis

Soil analysis reports are generally tailored to provide the required information for both Physical and chemical fertilities of the soil. Some soil reports may also include biological analysis. Soil physical fertility represents the ability of the soil to store and conduct water, nutrients and gases. Whereas soil chemical fertility indicates whether there are enough available nutrients for plant growth, or whether fertilizers are needed to correct deficiencies. Soil physical fertility information should include soil texture while the chemical fertility Information should cover cation exchange capacity (CEC), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), the percentage of exchangeable cations, organic carbon (matter) and the concentrations of essential macro and micronutrients in the soil, as well as some other elements such as aluminum. Lime, gypsum or dolomite requirements are also included. Organic matter in the soil is important for both chemical and physical fertility and should be an important part of any soil report.

         The chemical tests should address accurately both nutritional and toxicity considerations. Ideally, the soil test should not only identify whether a nutrient deficiency exists, but also the degree of deficiency in terms of expected yield loss. An ideal soil test is one that is reproducible and rapid, as well as being reliably correlated with local responses in plant yield or nutrient uptake.

Benefit of the Research

Ø  Classification of soil in the command area.

Ø  Identification of problems belongs to soil condition.

Ø  Verification of problems.

Ø  Verification and solutions making for the problems.

Ø  Increase the productivity of the command area farmers.

Ø  Develop the economy of the concern area farmer’s.