The impact of soil salinity on the chemical properties of soil at Hatiya Upazila, a remote area of Noakhali, Bangladesh

Soil salinity influences soil quality and other essential plant nutrients, reducing productivity and soil fertility in the Hatiya Upazila (Upazila is the second lowest tier of regional administration in Bangladesh), a coastal district of Noakhali, which is the soil saline vulnerable region of Bangladesh. This study determined the area’s soil salinity level, current crop production condition, and related soil salinity level of Hatiya Upazila. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of soil salinity on soil nutrients and other soil characteristics. To conduct this study, we randomly collected 78 soil samples from the 26 villages with three replicable samples from each sampling location and nine chemical characteristics of the soil samples evaluated. We mapped the soil salinity and other soil properties using the inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation techniques in ArcGIS software (version 10.8) environment. Also, we used Pearson’s correlation coefficient and linear regression models to evaluate the impact of soil salinity on the chemical properties of the soil. Results show that 38% of the study area has mild salinity, while 8% of the study area is affected by moderate salinity. In addition, around 4% of the study area is affected by high salinity. The reverse relation occurs when soil salinity is high and phosphorus, total nitrogen, organic matter, and carbon levels are low. According to statistical analysis, soil salinity (EC) is closely related to Na and K (r = 0.422). Soil salinity (EC) negatively affects OM, TN, P, and OC. The pH or sulphur content (EC) had no effect on the salinity of the soil. Among OCs, OM and TN have a favourable and strong relationship among themselves. These findings will benefit many stakeholders from the public and private sectors and local leaders in taking appropriate action to decrease the impact of soil salinity on agricultural production.