Journal of Environmental Biology

GIS based evaluation of crop suitability for agricultural sustainability around Kolaghat thermal power plant, India

Subhas Adak¹*, Kalyan Adhikari² and Koushik Brahmachari³

¹Agricultural Training Centre? and State Agricultural Management and? Extension Training Institute,? Ramakrishna Mission Asharama ,

Kolkata-700 103, India

²Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur-713 209, India

³Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalyani-741 252, India

*Corresponding Author E-mail: subhas.adak@rediffmail.com

Publication Data

Paper received:

25 July 2015

Revised received:

31 October 2015

Accepted:

17 January 2016

Abstract

Fly ash exhaust from Kolaghat thermal power plant, West Bengal, India,?? affects the areas within the radius of 3 - 4 km. Land information system indicated that surface texture within 4 km was silty loam and clay content increased with increase of distance. Soil pH was alkaline (7.58-8.01) in affected circles, whereas soil was acidic (5.95-6.41) in rest of block. Organic carbon (OC) is roving from 0.36 to 0.64% in the nearer circles which is lesser from others. The present Crop suitability analysis revealed that 96.98 % area was suitable (S1) for maize, sesame, jute, whereas these were cultivated in less than 1% of land. Flowers are the best suitable (S1) in 88.9 % but it was grown in 6.02 % area.? The present rice area within 4 km of KTPP is showing moderately suitable (S2) and S1 for the rest. Wheat is moderately suitable (S2) in the almost all the circles.? Cultivation of vegetable crops is limited in the affected circles while the highly suitable (S1) comprises 67.49 % for the remaining areas though it covered only 6.01 % of the block.? This evaluation precisely improves more than 300% from the earlier cropping intensity of 177.95 %. Suitability based land use allocation serves as stepping stone to promote agricultural sustainability. Geographic information system (GIS) model has been developed to assess site specific crop suitability for sustainable agricultural planning.   

 Key words

Agricultural sustainability, Crop suitability, Fly ash, GIS model, Soil properties 

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