Soil and Nutrient Loss from Hill as Affected by Different Cropping and Mulch Practices in Hilly Area of Bangladesh

Abstract

Soil and nutrient loss is a multifactor threat to crop production and the environment in hilly area of Bangladesh. Most studies on soil erosion characterization have not focused on soil and nutrient loss associated with erosion which were affected by different cropping and mulch practices. The demand for food is expected to significantly increase with continued population growth over the next 50 years, indicating that agricultural efficiency should be simultaneously stabilized and enhanced. The experiments was conducted in the hill district of Bangladesh (CHTs) i.e Bandarban, under the AEZ 29 (Northern and Eastern Hills Tract) during March 2016 to November 2017 to study the soil and nutrient loss from hill as affected by different cropping and mulch practices. The experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments for the experiment were: T1 Mulch (20 t/ha with rice straw) and T2No mulch in maize and turmeric field. Turmeric and maize cultivation showed economically better under mulch condition in hilly region. More nutrient depletion took place in no mulch condition under the cultivation of turmeric and maize crops. Due to non-mulching, the productivity loss in maize and turmeric was 1.37 and 2.56 t/ha, respectively. Turmeric showed higher benefit-cost ratio (BCR) in mulch practice (2.64) than in non-mulch (1.63) cropping.