Salinity problems and crop production in coastal regions of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a deltaic country with total area of 147, 570 km2. The major part (80%) of the country consists of alluvial sediments deposited by the river Ganges, Brahmaputra, Tista, Jamuna, Meghna and their tributaries. Terraces with an altitude of 20-30 m cover about 8% of the country, while hilly areas with an altitude of 10-1000 m occur in the southeastern and northeastern part. The coastal region covers almost 29,000 km2 or about 20% of the country. Again, the coastal areas of Bangladesh cover more than 30% of the cultivable lands of the country. About 53% of the coastal areas are affected by salinity. Agricultural land use in these areas is very poor, which is much lower than country's average cropping intensity. Salinity causes unfavorable environment and hydrological situation that restrict the normal crop production throughout the year. The factors which contribute significantly to the development of saline soil are, tidal flooding du ring wet season (June-October), direct inundation by saline water, and upward or lateral movement of saline ground water during dry season (November-May). The severity of salinity problem in Bangladesh increases with the desiccation of the soil. It affects crops depending on degree of salinity at the critical stages of growth, which reduces yield and in severe cases total yield is lost. Soil reaction values (pH) in coastal region range from 6.0-8.4. The organic matter content of the soils is also pretty low (1.0-1.5%). Nutrient deficiencies of N and P are quite dominant in saline soils. Micronutrients, such as Cu and Zn are widespread. During the wet monsoon the severity of salt injury is reduced due to dilution of the salt in the root-zone of the standing crop. The dominant crop gown in the saline areas is local transplanted Aman rice crop with low yields. The cropping patterns followed in the coastal areas are mainly Fallow Fallow-Transplanted Aman rice. Salinity problem r e ceived very little attention in the past. It has become imperative to explore the possibilities of increasing potential of this (saline) lands for increased production of crops. Thus is necessary to have an appraisal of the present state of land areas affected by salinity.