EVALUATION AND INTEGRATION OF SOIL SALINITY AND WATER DATA FOR IMPROVED LAND USE OF UNDERPRODUCTIVE COASTAL AREA IN ORISSA

Coastal agriculture in Orissa is predominantly rainfed and hence vulnerable owing to uncertain distribution of rainfall over time. Lack of irrigation support and salt stress affect crop growth and reduce yield as well. Good quality aquifer and low-saline soil are available but vary spatially. Promoting potential use of spatially varied resources, precise assessment of soil and water quality at micro-level is therefore imperative. In this study the soil salt stress, availability and quality of underground aquifers at different sites were evaluated in the neighbourhood area of Chilika, the largest brackish water lagoon of Asia. Integrating soil salinity, soil moisture content, aquifer availability and quality, various farming strategies specific to different sites were developed. These could trigger 1.59 to 2 times more production from its present level in that area. Where there is a diverse occurrence of resources, a precise estimation of those resources' potentials thus provides keys to develop cost-effective options for improving production in an underproductive area. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.