Impact of Land Use Types on Soil Physicochemical Properties in the Northern and Eastern Hills of Bangladesh

Diverse land use patterns in the Northern and Eastern Hills (AEZ 29) of Bangladesh significantly affect soil physico-chemical properties. The study aimed to delineate soil physico-chemical characteristics and their changing dynamics related to land use types in Sylhet Sadar upazila. The experiment was conducted covering four land use types: grassland, forest land, orchard, and tea garden from two soil depths, viz. surface (0–15 cm) and sub-surface (15–30 cm) with four sampling sites as replications, during September 2023-March 2024. Results showed higher silt-clay ratio in surface soil, sand dominating across all land uses and depths. Sub-surface soil had the higher organic carbon content (0.84%). Soil pH negatively correlated with organic carbon and total nitrogen but positively with organic carbon and available zinc. Bulk density was the highest in both grassland and forest soils. Furthermore, grassland soils had the higher pH (5.14 in surface; 5.22 in sub-surface, while tea garden soils showed lower (4.35 in surface; 4.42 in sub-surface). Organic carbon content was highest in tea garden soils, while total nitrogen content was highest in both orchard and tea garden soils. Grassland and orchard soils had the higher available phosphorus content, while forest and orchard soils exhibited the higher available boron and zinc content, respectively. Therefore, tea garden and orchard soil in Agro-Ecological Zone 29 had better nutrient status compared to grassland and forest soils influenced by management practices and vegetation cover.