Soil chemical analysis of gangetic delta plain by combined use of multispectral imagery and XRF spectroscopy

  • Authors

    • Neha Singh The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat
    • Harshita Asthana Jawaharlal Nehru University
    • Chandrasekhar Azad Vishwakarma Jawaharlal Nehru University
    • Ratan Sen Jawaharlal Nehru University
    • Saumitra Mukherjee Jawaharlal Nehru University
    2016-10-18
    https://doi.org/10.14419/ijag.v4i2.6743
  • Minerals, Weathering, Band Ratio, Nutrients, PCA.
  • 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal are very well known for their agricultural productivity. These districts are the part of the mature delta plain of the Bengal delta which is formed by the deposition of weathered sediments through Himalayan Rivers. The agricultural productivity of an area depends mainly upon the fertility of soil which in turn depends on the presence of essential nutrients in it. Thus, the present study was carried out to assess the types of minerals present in the soil which provide the elements that act as the nutrients to the plant. Band ratio technique using the Landsat imagery and X-Ray Diffraction was carried out for the study of mineral composition. XRF was done for the elemental composition of the soil samples and Principal Component Analysis was carried out to assess the sources of these nutrients in the soil. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index was also calculated using Landsat imagery to study the vegetation pattern in the area. The study suggests that the area is mainly comprised of clay and ferrous minerals and contains nearly all the elements that act as macro-and micro-nutrients. However, the study also shows the accumulation of some of the heavy metals which may be due to the excessive use of fertilizers.

  • References

    1. [1] Akalan I (1977) Toprak Olusu, Yap ı s ı ve Ozellikleri (Ankara, TR: Ankara Universitesi, Ziraat Fakultesi Yayinları 662/204), pp. 342.

      [2] Alloway BJ (1995a) Heavy Metals in Soils, 2nd edn. pp 368. Blackie Academic and Professional, London. ISBN 0-7514-0198-6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1344-1.

      [3] Bell RW & Dell B (2008) Micronutrients for Sustainable Food, Feed, Fibre and Bioenergy Production. First edition, IFA, Paris, France.

      [4] Campbell JB (1996) Introduction to Remote Sensing, 2nd edn. (New York–London: The Guilford Press), pp. 468.

      [5] Cattell RB & Jaspers J (1967) a general plasmode (no. 30-10-5-2) for factor analytic exercises and research. Multivariate Behavioral Research Monographs 67, 1 – 212.

      [6] Coppin P, Jonckheere I, Nackaerts K & Muys B (2004) A review: Digital change detection methods in ecosystem monitoring: a review. International Journal of Remote Sensing 25, 1565-1596. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0143116031000101675.

      [7] Crosta AP & Moore JM (1989) Enhancement of Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery for residual soil mapping in SW Minas Gerias state, Brazil: a prospecting case history in Greenstone belt terrain. Proceeding of the Ninth Thematic conference on Remote Sensing for Exploration Geology, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 2-6 October, pp. 1173-1187.

      [8] Darning WP (1998) Affiliated Research Center, Integrated Use of Remote Sensing and GIS for Mineral Exploration. Final Report, pp 3-4.

      [9] Drury SA (1993) Image interpretation in Geology, 2, pp.145 – 149; pp. 225 – 231.

      [10] Elangovan D & Chalakh ML (2006) Arsenic pollution in West Bengal. Technical Digest 9, 31-35.

      [11] Ferrier G, Griffiths KWG, Bryant R & StefoulI M (2002) The mapping of hydrothermal alteration zones on the island of Lesvos, Greece using an integrated remote sensing dataset. International Journal of Remote Sensing 23, 1-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01431160010003857.

      [12] Goetz AFH & Rowan LC (1981) Geologic remote-sensing. Science 211, 781–791. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.211.4484.781.

      [13] Grim RE (1962) Applied Clay Mineralogy (New York, Toronto, London: McGraw-Hill) pp. 422.

      [14] Gupta RP (2003) Remote sensing Geology. 2nd edition, Springer, Germany. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-05283-9.

      [15] Holmgren GGS, Meye MW, Chaney RL & Daniels RB (1993) Cadmium, lead, zinc, copper and nickel in agricultural soils of the United States of America. Journal for Environmental Quality 22, 335–348. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/jeq1993.00472425002200020015x.

      [16] Huang PM (1998) Soil Chemistry and Ecosystem Health, SSSA Special Publication Number 52. Soil Society of America, Madison, WI, USA, pp. 386.

      [17] Jensen JR (1996) Introductory Digital Image Processing: A Remote Sensing Perspective, 2nd edn. (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall), pp. 316.

      [18] Khidir SOEl & Babikir IAA (2013) Digital image processing and geospatial analysis of landsat 7 ETM+ for mineral exploration, Abidiya area, North Sudan. International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences 3(3), 645-658.

      [19] Lunetta RS, Knight JF, Ediriwickrema J, Lyon JG & Worthy LD (2006) Land-cover change detection using multi-temporal MODIS NDVI data. Remote Sensing of the Environment 105, 142-154. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2006.06.018.

      [20] Mattigod SV & Page AL (1983) Assessment of metal pollution in soils. Applied Environmental Geochemistry (ed. Thornton, I) Chap 12, pp. 355-394.

      [21] Mazlum N, Ozer a & Mazlum S (1996) Interpretation of water quality data by principal components analysis. Journal of Environmental Engineering Science 23, 19 – 26.

      [22] McLaren RG, Swift RS & Quin BF (1984) EDTA-extractable copper, zinc, and manganese in soils of the Canterbury Plains. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 27, 207–217. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00288233.1984.10430423.

      [23] Meer FD van der, Werff HMA van der, Ruitenbeek FJA van, Hecker CA, Bakker WH, Noomen MF, Meijde M van der, Carranza EJM, Smeth JBde & Woldai T (2012) Multi- and hyperspectral geologic remote sensing: A review. Interantional Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 14, 112-128. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2011.08.002.

      [24] Moore DM & Reynolds RCJr (1997) X-Ray Diffraction and the Identiï¬cation and Analysis of Clay Minerals (New York: Oxford University Press), pp. 378.

      [25] Mortvedt JJ (1996) Heavy metal contaminants in inorganic and organic fertilizers. Fertility Research 43, 55–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00747683.

      [26] Mshiu EE (2011) Landsat remote sensing data as an alternative approach for geological mapping in tanzania: a case study in the rungwe volcanic province, south-western tanzania. Tanzania Journal of Sciences 37, 26-36.

      [27] Rowan C & Lathram EH (1980) Mineral Exploration, Remote Sensing in Geology (Chapter 17) (B.S. Siegal and A.R. Gillespie, editors), John Wiley and Sons, New York, pp. 702.

      [28] Sabins FF Jr (1987) Remote Sensing Principles and Interpretation, 2nd edn. (New York: W. H. Freeman & Co).

      [29] Vernet JP (1992) Impact of heavy metals on the environment. Series: trace metal in the environment. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, pp. 444.

      [30] Wolt J (1994) Soil solution chemistry: application to environmental science and Agriculture. Wiley, New York.

  • Downloads

  • How to Cite

    Singh, N., Asthana, H., Vishwakarma, C. A., Sen, R., & Mukherjee, S. (2016). Soil chemical analysis of gangetic delta plain by combined use of multispectral imagery and XRF spectroscopy. International Journal of Advanced Geosciences, 4(2), 92-103. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijag.v4i2.6743