Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Soil Properties-Landform Relationship in Purvanchal Range of Tripura, Northeastern India: An Implication of Pedogenesis

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

Twenty two pedons from four landforms namely, hills, mounds, valleys and alluvial plains of Purvanchal range of Tripura, India having warm to hot perhumid climate were characterized. Soil samples were analyzed for different morphological, physical and chemical properties. The analysis of frequency distribution showed that the dataset was highly skewed for most of the soil properties that may be due to heterogeneous sedimentary parent materials and/or differences in ongoing pedogenic processes in different landforms. The relationship between soil properties within specific landform was interpreted using the factor analysis which showed 57%, 55%, 63% and 60% variation in soil characteristics for the hills, mounds, valleys and alluvial plains, respectively, and could be explained by two factors. Significant positive relationship between K content and silt and clay, and negative relationship between pH and exch. Al were obtained for hills soil. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) in hills and mounds soil was closely associated with exchangeable Ca, Mg and clay content. Results further indicate that clay content and CEC of soils in hills and mounds increased with increasing soil depth which in turn means occurrence of eluviation and illuviation in these soils. In alluvial plains, majority of soil profiles showed irregular distribution of OC and clay content and may be attributed to mass movement, periodic flooding and deposition of materials during different cycles. The study also indicates that soil properties provide crucial information on the pedogenesis of soils, which in turn has edaphological significance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdelfattah, M.A. (2013) Pedogenesis, land management and soil classification in hyper-arid environments: results and implications from a case study in the United Arab Emirates. Soil Use Managmt., v.29, pp.279–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amundsen, R., Harden, J.W. and Singer, M.J. (1994) Factors of Soil Formation: A Fiftieth Anniversary Perspective. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Jour., (Spec. Publ.), v.33, pp.31–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhattacharyya, T., Chandran, P., Ray, S.K., Mandal, C., Pal, D.K., Venugopalan, M.V., Durge, S.L., Srivastava, P., Dubey, P.N., Kamble, G.K., Sharma, R.P., Wani, S.P., Rego, T.J., Pathak, P., Ramesh, V., Manna, M.C. and Sahrawat, K.L. (2007) Physical and chemical properties of selected benchmark spots for carbon sequestration studies in semi-arid tropics of India. Global Theme on Agro-ecosystems Report No. 35. Patancheru 502 324, Andhra Pradesh, India: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and New Delhi. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), India, pp.236.

  • Bhattacharyya, T., Pal, D.K. and Vaidya, P.H. (2003) Soil landscape model for suitable cropping pattern in Tripura, Part I. Soil resources in Tripura-their extent, nature and characteristics. Final DST Project report, NBSS&LUP (ICAR), Nagpur, pp.114.

  • Bhattacharyya, T., Pal, D.K., Chandran, P., Ray, S.K., Mandal, C. and Telpandey, B. (2008) Soil carbon storage capacity as a tool to prioritise areas for carbon sequestration. Curr. Sci., v.95, pp.482–494.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhattacharyya, T., Sarkar, D., Pal, D.K., Mandal, C., Baruah, U., Telpandey, B. and Vaidya, P.H. (2010) Soil information system for resource management-Tripura as a case study. Curr. Sci., v.99, pp.1208–1217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhattacharyya, T., Sehgal, J.L. and Sarkar, D. (1996) Soils of Tripura for optimizing land use: their kinds, distribution and suitability for major field crops and rubber. NBSS Publ. No. 65, Nagpur, pp.154.

  • Blake, G.R. and Hartge, K.H. (1986) Bulk density. In Klute, A. (Ed.), Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 1: Physical and Mineralogical Methods. Amer. Soc. Agron., Madison, WI, pp.363–75.

  • Buol, S.W., Southard, R.J., Grahm, R.C. and McDaniel, P.A. (2003) Soil Genesis and Classification, 5th Edition, Iowa State University Press, Ames, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chadwick, O.A. and Grahm, R.C. (2000) Pedogenic processes. In Sumner, M.E. (Ed.), Handbook of Soil Science. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp.41–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deka, B., Baruah, T.C., Dutta, M. and Karmakar, R.M. (2009) Landscape soil relationships and pedonegic evaluation of soils in Ghiladhari watershed of the Brahmaputra valleys of Assam. Jour. Indian Soc. Soil Sci., v.57, pp.245–252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dessalegn, D., Beyene, S., Ram, N., Walley, F. and Gala, T.S. (2014) Effects of topography and land use on soil characteristics along the toposequence of Ele watershed in southern Ethiopia. Catena, v. 115, pp.47–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Keblawy, A., Abdelfattah, M.A. and Khedr, A.H.A. (2015) Relationships between landforms, soil characteristics and dominant xerophytes in the hyper-arid northern United Arab Emirates. Jour. Arid Environ., v.117, pp.28–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fantaw, Y., Ledin, S. and Abdelkadir, A. (2006) Soil property variations in relation to topographic aspect and vegetation community in south-eastern highlands of Ethiopia. For. Ecol. Managmt., v.232, pp.90–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Florinsky, I.V. (2012) Influence of topography on soil properties. Digitalterrain analysis in soil science and geology. Elsevier Inc., pp.145–149.

  • Gangopadhyay, S.K., Bhattacharyya, T. and Sarkar, D. (2001) Characterization and classification of some rubber growing soils of Tripura. Jour. Indian Soc. Soil Sci., v. 49, pp.164–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gangopadhyay, S.K., Bhattacharyya, T. and Sarkar, D. (2008) Nature of acidity in some soils of south Tripura. Agropedology, v.18, pp.12–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gangopadhyay, S.K., Bhattacharyya, T. and Sarkar, D. (2015) Hydromorphic soils of Tripura: their pedogenesis and characteristics. Curr. Sci., v.108, pp.984–993.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gessler, P.E., Chadwick, O.A., Chamran, F., Althouse, F. and Holms, K. (2000) Modeling soil-landscape and ecosystem properties using terrain attributes. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Jour., v.64, pp.2046–2056.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GSI (Geological Survey of India) (1998) 1:2 million scale geological map of North-East, India. Geol. Surv. India, Kolkata.

    Google Scholar 

  • GSI (2011) Geology and mineral resources of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Geol. Surv. India Misc. Publ., No.30, Part IV, 1 (Part-2), pp.1–104.

  • Hall, G.F. (1983) Pedology and geomorphology. In: Wilding, L.P., Smeck, N.E., Hall, G.F., (Eds.), Pedogenesis and Soil Taxonomy. I. Concepts and Interactions. Elsevier Science Publishers BV: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp.117–140.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hook, P.B. and Burke, I.C. (2000) Biogeochemistry in a shortgrass landscape: control by topography, soil texture, and microclimate. Ecology, v.81, pp.2686–2703.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huggett, R.J. (1975) Soil landscape systems: a model of soil Genesis. Geoderma, v.13, pp.1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huggett, R.J. (1976) Lateral translocation of soil plasma through a small valley basin in the Northway Great Wood Hertfordshire. Earth Surf. Process, v.1, pp.99–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khan, Z.M., Hussain, M.S. and Otiner, F. (2012) Morphogenesis of three surface-water gley soils from the Meghna floodplain of Bangladesh. Jour. Biol. Sci., v.21, pp.17–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawal, B.A., Tsado, P.A., Eze, P.C., Idefohk, K.K., Zaki, A.A. and Kolawole, S. (2014) Effect of slope positions on some properties of soils under a Tectona grandis plantation in Minna, Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria. Inter. Jour. Res. Agric. For., v.1, pp.37–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindeburg, K.S., Almond, P., Roering, J.J. and Chadwick, O.A. (2013) Pathways of soil genesis in the Coast Range of Oregon, USA. Plant Soil, v.367, pp.57–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McBratney, A.B., Odeh, I.O.A., Bishop, T.F.A., Dunbar, M.S. and Shatar T.M. (2000) An overview of pedometric techniques for use in soil survey. Geoderma, v.97, pp.293–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Momtaz, H.R., Jafarzadeh, A.A., Torabi, A., Oustan, Sh., Samadi, A., Davatgar, N. and Gilkes, R.J. (2009) An assessment of the variation in soil properties within and between landform in the Amol region, Iran. Geoderma, v. 149, pp.10–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, I.D., Gessler, P.E., Nielsen, G.A. and Peterson, G.A. (1993) Soil attributes prediction using terrain analysis. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Jour., v.57, pp.443–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mulugeta, D. and Sheleme, B. (2010) Characterization and classification of soils along toposequence in Kindo Koye watershed in southern Ethiopia. East Afr. Jour. Sci., v.4, pp.65–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadal-Romero, E., Revuelto, J., Errea, P. and López-Moreno, J.I. (2015) The application of terrestrial laser scanner and SfM photogrammetry in measuring erosion and deposition processes in two opposite slopes in a humid badlands area (central Spanish Pyrenees). Soil, v.1, pp.561–573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nahusenay, A. and Kibebew, K. (2016) Effects of land use, soil depth and topography on soil physicochemical properties along the toposequence at the Wadla Delanta Massif, north central highlands of Ethiopia. Environ. Pollution, v.5, pp.57–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piper, C.S. (1966) Soil and plant analysis. Hans Publishers, Bombay, India.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ponnamperuma, F.N. (1972) The chemistry of submerged soils. Adv. Agron., v.24, pp.29–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ponnamperuma, F.N. (1985) Chemical kinetics of wetland rice soil relative to fertility. In Wetland Soils-Characterization, Classification and Utilization, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines, pp.71–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramos, M.C., Cots-Folch, R. and Martinez-Casasnovas, J.A. (2007) Effects of land terracing on soil properties in the Priorat region in Northeastern Spain: a multivariate analysis. Geoderma, v.142, pp.251–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reza, S.K., Baruah, U., Nath, D.J., Sarkar, D. and Gogoi, D. (2014) Microbial biomass and enzyme activity in relation to shifting cultivation and horticultural practices in humid subtropical North-Eastern India. Range Manage. Agroforestry, v.35, pp.78–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reza, S.K., Baruah, U., Nayak, D.C., Dutta, D. and Singh, S.K. (2018) Effects of land-use on soil physical, chemical and microbial properties in humid subtropical northeastern India. Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett., v.41, pp.141–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reza, S.K., Baruah, U., Sarkar, D. and Dutta, D.P. (2011) Influence of slope positions on soil fertility index, soil evaluation factor and microbial indices in acid soil of Humid Subtropical India. Indian Jour. Soil Conserv., v.39, pp.44–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reza, S.K., Ray, P., Ramachandran, S., Bandyopadhyay, S., Mukhopadhyay, S., Sah, K.D., Nayak, D.C., Singh, S.K. and Ray, S.K. (2019a) Spatial distribution of soil nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents and stocks in humid subtropical North-eastern India. Jour. Indian Soc. Soil Sci., v.67, pp.12–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reza, S.K., Ray, P., Ramachandran, S., Bandyopadhyay, S., Mukhopadhyay, S., Sah, K.D., Nayak, D.C., Singh, S.K. and Ray, S.K. (2019b) Profile distribution of soil organic carbon in major land use systems in Bishalgarh block, Tripura. Jour. Indian Soc. Soil Sci., v.67, pp.236–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schollenberger, C.J. and Simon, R.H. (1945) Determination of exchange capacity and exchangeable bases in soil ammonium acetate method. Soil Sci., v.59, pp.13–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, R.P., Raja, P. and Bhaskar, B.P. (2020) Pedogenesis and mineralogy of alluvial soils from eemi-arid southeastern part of Rajasthan in Aravalli range, India. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.95, pp.59–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheleme, B. (2011) Soil characterization along toposequence in Gununo area, southern Ethiopia. Jour. Sci. Dev., v.1, pp.31–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shukla, M.K., Lal, R. and Ebinger, M. (2006) Determining soil quality indicators by factor analysis. Soil Till. Res., v.87, pp.194–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sielaff, K. and Einax, J.W. (2007) The application of multivariate statistical methods for the evaluation of soil profiles. Jour. Soils Sediments., v.7, pp.45–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, R.L. (2006) India: A regional geography. National Geographical Society of India, Varanasi.

  • Soil Survey Staff (1995) Soil Survey Manual, USDA, Agricultural Handbook No. 18, New Revised Edition, Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soil Survey Staff. (2003) Keys to soil taxonomy. 9th Editions, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soil Survey Staff. (2014) Keys to soil taxonomy. 12th Edition, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoops, G. and Eswaran, H. (1985) Morphological characteristics of wet soils. In: Wetland Soils-Characterization, Classification and Utilization, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines, pp.177–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sumner, M.E. and Miller, W.P. (1996) Cation exchange capacity and exchange coefficients In Sparks, D.L., Page, A.L., Helmke, P.A., (Eds.), Methods of soil analysis, Part 3, Chemical methods. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer., Madison, WI, pp.1201–1229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Œwitoniak, M. (2014) Use of soil profile truncation to estimate influence of accelerated erosion on soil cover transformation in young morainic landscapes North-Eastern Poland. Catena, v.116, pp.173–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tellen, V.A. and Yerima, B.P.K. (2018) Effects of land use change on soil physicochemical properties in selected areas in the North West region of Cameroon. Environ. Syst. Res., v.7, pp.3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tesfahunegn, G.B. and Gebru, T.A. (2020) Variation in soil properties under different cropping and other land-use systems in Dura catchment, Northern Ethiopia. PLoS ONE, v.15, e0222476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vasu, D., Singh, S.K., Tiwary, T., Chandran, P., Ray, S.K. and Duraisami, V.P. (2016) Pedogenic processes and soil-landform relationships for identification of yield-limiting soil properties. Soil Res., v.55, pp.273–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walkley, A. and Black, I.A. (1934) An examination of the digtjareff method for determining soil organic matter and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method. Soil Sci., v.37, pp.29–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J., Fu, B., Qiu, Y. and Chen, L. (2001) Soil nutrients in relation to land use and landscape position in semi-arid small catchment of the loess plateau in China. Jour. Arid Environ., v.48, pp.537–550.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilding, L.P. (1985) Spatial variability: its documentation, accommodation and implication to soil surveys. In Nielsen, D.R., Bouma, J., (Eds.), Soil spatial variability. Wageningen, Pudoc, pp.166–194.

  • Zhang, X.Y., Liu, M.Z., Zhao, X., Li, Y.Q., Zhao, W., Li, A., Chen, S., Chen, S.P., Han, X.G. and Huang, J.H. (2018) Topography and grazing effects on storage of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in the northern China grasslands. Ecol. Indic., v.93, pp.45–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Sector-II, DK-Block, Salt Lake, Kolkata, 700 019, India

    S. K. Reza & S. Mukhopadhyay

  2. ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jamuguri Road, Jorhat, 785 004, India

    P. Ray & S. K. Ray

  3. ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibers, Barrackpore, Kolkata, 700 120, India

    N. M. Alam

  4. ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Ela, 403 402, India

    S. K. Singh

Authors
  1. S. K. Reza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. Ray
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. N. M. Alam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S. Mukhopadhyay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. S. K. Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. S. K. Ray
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. K. Reza.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Reza, S.K., Ray, P., Alam, N.M. et al. Soil Properties-Landform Relationship in Purvanchal Range of Tripura, Northeastern India: An Implication of Pedogenesis. J Geol Soc India 98, 402–410 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-022-1992-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-022-1992-3

Search

Navigation